


Love is Hard for a Demon Otaku

by Gemlettuce



Category: Shall We Date?: Obey Me!
Genre: Chatlogs, Comedy, Depression, Drama & Romance, Eventual Romance, F/M, Falling In Love, Family Drama, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Geek Love, Grief/Mourning, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Jealousy, Mild Language, Mild Sexual Content, Nerdiness, POV First Person, POV Third Person, References to Canon, References to Depression, References to Video Games, References to anime, Retelling, Romance, Self-Esteem Issues, Shoujo, Slow Burn, Social Anxiety, Spoilers, Tsunderes, family therapy simulator, longfic, mostly in third person, nerd love, otaku, rurichan
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-14
Updated: 2021-02-14
Packaged: 2021-03-03 03:08:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 55
Words: 285,920
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24177916
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemlettuce/pseuds/Gemlettuce
Summary: Life had been seemingly perfect for the past few hundred years or so, he had Ruri-chan and anime was starting to be released at a phenomenal rate; what more could he ever want? Then one day Lord Diavolo announced a transfer student to the RAD academy and everyone's lives were changed forever.A more romantic retelling longfic of Obey Me! in Levi's POV, with some details changed and a lot of fluff added inbetween.MC has a name and a face.No Yoda talk here, I promise <3Plenty of gaming ,anime and nerdy references. Comedy, angst, fluff, it's all here!Obvious spoilers for main story.
Relationships: Leviathan (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)/Original Female Character(s), Leviathan/Main Character (Shall We Date?: Obey Me!)
Comments: 99
Kudos: 192





	1. Prologue

Deep within the pits of the Devildom, a reality hidden somewhere between the human realm and the celestial realm there stood a building; the Royal Academy of Diavolo. 

It was a school for demons, well more of a University really.

Lurking somewhere within a mansion situated next to the Academy lived seven demon brothers.

And bathed in a blue iridescent light a figure lay, black coral-like horns slightly poking out of his lilac coloured hair; a long scaly tail curled around his body as he slept soundly in his bathtub inspired den. His name was Leviathan, the 3rd oldest of the brothers; he also went by the name of Levia-chan from time to time.

Since he was a small boy growing up in the Celestial Realm, Levi had always been a lone wolf; now preferring the company of his various anime figurines, body pillows and dvds. He got along with his brothers but as the Avatar of Envy he was just that; envious. All of his brothers were blessed with devilish good looks, each their own talents and bodies to match. But he was just a worthless Otaku compared to Mammons charms, Lucifer's aptitude, Satan's boldness, Beelzebubs biceps, Belphegor's intelligence and even Asmodeus had his dashing good looks and own..charm.

For the past 400 or so years life had been the same old- same old. Levi attended RAD along with his brothers and other demon-folk learning about human and angel-folk, their laws and ways of life; but due to his timid nature and dislike for other people he took his classes for the school online, safe within the confines of his own room.

Little did Levi know just how much his life would change today.

* * *

“Levi, OI! LEVIATHAN, get outta that bed or I’ll grab you by that tail and haul your ass out myself!” The door pounded and a deep voice could be heard shouting.

_Ugh, leave me alone, I was dreaming of Ruri-chan._

His whip-like tail uncoiled itself from his form and he peered his orange eyes open, they glistened in the ambience of the blue LEDs from his surrounding aquarium, like two burning sunsets reflecting on the horizon. Irritated with his older brother disturbing the peace Levi sprang to his feet wearing nothing but a pair of black jogging pants and he swung the door open, meeting his silver haired sibling with a piercing gaze.

“Mammon you’ve got a damn nerve, did you forget you owe me money? I NEED it back, the new season of Attack on Giants is out soon!” The gaze softened into puppy dog eyes that could melt any beast's heart.

Mammon, the second oldest brother was a slim man with tan skin and platinum silver hair. He was wearing a black military jacket, a teal shaded shirt and a bright yellow tie with red streaked black pants. His azure eyes mirrored Levi's pitiful look. “But bro I really needed that money for my new 50 inch TV! I promise I’ll give you back NEXT week, hopefully I’ll find my credit card by then!”

“LOL are you serious right now? I lent you that money _weeks_ ago! Give it back or else!” Levi’s tail whipped around and sliced the air next to Mammon aggressively, and a purple aura started to glow around the recluse; who was clearly getting angry.

“Woah calm down! No need to get worked up over this!” Mammon gestured with his hands, the jewellery around his wrist clinking like windchimes. “ I’ll see what I can do about the money okay?…I don’t want to have to explain to Lucifer why your door has a hole in it....again.” The last thing anyone wanted was another of Lucifer's anger management classes.

Like a switch flicked off, Levi was now sporting a very toothy grin and the malevolent presence vanished. “Oh really? Thanks Mammon I’m so happy! Yaaaaaay now I can pre order my DVD and see what happens to Jeren and Michaela!”

“What in Mephisto's name are you two doing? We’re going to be late! Diavolo is holding some big ceremony today to welcome the humans.” A tall blonde figure paced towards them which made both brothers flinch. He was also wearing a black jacket and shirt only his outfit was completed with a light yellow coloured bowtie.

“Oh it’s just you Satan, I was worried you were Lucifer for a sec’ there...“ Mammon held the back of his head in relief. Satan was their younger brother and the Avatar of Wrath, he normally held a cool demeanour but along with their oldest sibling; you did not want to get on his bad side. 

Satan snapped his head towards Levi and sighed “ Levi... you should know better to lose your temper like this, what would Diavolo think if you snapped at the humans on the first day? We need to be on our best behaviours or the Demon King will have all of our heads.” And with that he ushered Levi to get dressed into his own uniform sharpish.

* * *

The ceremony was as boring as he’d imagined, it took every ounce of willpower for him to not reach into his pocket and log into Runequest right there and then. His other siblings listened on intently as Diavolo the Demon Prince droned on about the future of the Devildom and stressed what a great opportunity this was for everyone.

_Pfft yeah right, great opportunity? who even cares? As long as these humans don’t poke their noses in my business I wanna stay out of it._

_Though I’d be lying if I wasn’t sliiiightly curious if either of them have ever heard of One Kick Man or TSL before._

“And that wraps up everything! Now may I introduce our new students Solomon and….. “ Levi zoned out and stared down at his dark purple tie, he was about to fall asleep. Satan noticed this and kicked the back of his chair. Levi's head snapped up as a tall white haired man wearing his uniform buttoned up with a blue and white bolero tie stepped out confidently, but he didn't really care about him. His attention was draw behind the man, there was a petite womanly figure with long jet black hair and bangs. She had huge blue eyes but what really drew his attention were the rings of emerald hues around her teal irises and a brown mark on the inner left corner of her left eye.

_Woah… I’ve never seen eyes like that on a human; she’s got to be wearing contacts. Oh! Maybe she’s cosplaying as a demon?_

_"_ I'd like to thank everyone for this wonderful opportunity! I hope we can become good friends." The attractive white haired male human smiled, grinning in reassurance at the raven haired woman next to him who was oddly dressed, wearing a black and red checkered dress and boots, looking very uncomfortable. "Would you care to say a few words too?"

_Ugh why didn't anyone mention that one of the humans was a g-girl? And why is she dressed like...that._

“Ah-u-um ...t-t-thank you Lord Diavolo, I’ll d-do my best to make this transfer worthy for everyone,” She bowed her head and smacked her scalp on the microphone; creating a whistle of feedback and causing the students around her to break into laughter. The girl smiled awkwardly to everyone and rubbed her forehead, wincing in pain as she retreated back behind Solomon who tried to hide his own amusement.

_Ooof that's got to hurt..._

Around him Levi could hear his brothers muttering about human IQ being much lower than that of a demon; everyone was just as unenthusiastic as her arrival, apart from their smaller framed brother who eyed the girl up like his next meal.

“Oh I could just eat her up ~ This could be a fun year guys!” Asmodeus smirked playfully with a sultry; almost feminine voice. His uniform was in pristine condition and he opted for a light pink ribbon instead of a tie. It suddenly struck Levi that his oldest brother had disappeared.

_He's probably gone to kiss ass to Diavolo about the stupid exchange program..._

The largest brother, Beelzebub didn't take much pride in his appearance, his shirt was lazily buttoned up, revealing a bright orange undershirt and he had his sleeves rolled up casually. The redhead sighed, he had no particular interest in anything but the actual food being carted into the hall; he’d much rather have his way with the tray of hamburgers being offered to him, than the human being ushered towards everyone.

Lucifer, the oldest brother wore a longer uniform that almost touched the floor like a trench coat, black gloves concealed his hands and he carried himself proudly. He approached the brothers whilst the girl hid behind his cloak and cast a strict gaze as if to say “Don’t you dare make a fool of me” at everyone.

“Everyone, this is Emilia Cortez but she prefers to go by Em and she will be under your care; especially Mammon.” He pointed at the silver haired brother “I’m putting _you_ in charge of looking after her so any funny business or if she is harmed then it’s on _your head"._

All of the brothers stood in awe, they didn't think the human would be working so closely with them.

_Ugh! THAT'S why he disappeared? We're babysitting her for the entire year?_

_Well I want no part in it. I'll just stay in my room for the next 12 months!_

“Ugh seriously! You gotta be kiddin’ me! Is this payback for when I sold your favourite record?” Mammon buried his head in his hands to express his contempt. The human girl had her head buried in Lucifer's back; refusing to make eye contact with anyone.

“I-its n-nice to meet you all”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Emilia has sectoral heterochromia (a trait I also have, she's sort of modeled off me; I promise you she's not a Mary Sue you'll see she has many flaws; social anxiety being one of them)  
> I know all the demon brothers have it but I thought maybe it could be a rare trait for a human to have so that's why Levi is shook on the first encounter.


	2. First Impression

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brothers have just been acquainted with the new transfer student but Levi manages to put his foot in it already.

The brothers surrounded the petite girl observing her, everything intrigued them from her hair, to her eyes to the womanly curves that were rather obvious due to the skintight fabric tracing her figure. And it didn’t take Asmodeus long before he turned on his charms; as the Avatar of Lust he saw it as his duty to hit on cute classmates.

“Oooooh, Emilia huh? That’s a very cute name ~” He winked at the girl as she slowly peered up at him. She was a small creature, maybe 5’4 at a push and considering most of the brothers passed 5’8 she felt like an ant.

She remained frozen, seemingly unaffected by Asmo's advances.

It didn't take long for Levi to voice his own opinion of the girl to her face.“LOL yeah but your surname is a bit edgy, it sounds like something a protagonist from one of those cheesy otome games would have. And what's with the lipstick, this is a school? And why are you wearing a dress? Do you think we’ll all fall madly in love with you and we’ll become a harem or something, hah is that it?” he babbled on and on, unable to control his mouth whilst he pointed and sneered at the poor girl who instinctively smacked her cherry red lips together to mask her makeup. The rambling demon wasn’t very good at talking to people at the best of times let alone being forced to get along with someone.

“Oi Levi, that’s a bit rude ain’t it. For one, she can’t help what her name is. We don’t even have surnames so don’t be actin’ all high and mighty” Mammon was the first to speak up, he was a very prideful demon so seeing someone put down right in front of him didn’t sit right, even if that person was a human. "And uhh the other stuff I don't really understand but, shut up!"

“Yes, I agree. Levi maybe I should make you return after class later and write a thousand lines on manners.” Lucifer scowled at his brother and glanced over at Em; who still hadn’t said a word but her doe like eyes were watching the brothers intently now.

She met Levi’s eyes with a frown at first, and then her mouth quivered. Satan crossed his arms and rolled his eyes, he had better things to do today and this was starting to get a little melodramatic for his tastes.

_Whoops, I didn’t mean to call her out or insult her or-_

“...o…..r...ht” She mumbled a string of words that he didn’t really understand; then turned on her heels and ran away as fast as her boots could carry her.

_Have I gone deaf from blasting my music too loudly?_

Before he could even breathe Mammon wasted no time and chased after the girl, hot on her trail they both disappeared from the hall and a crowd of nosey onlookers watched in delight of the drama.

“Levi…..” All of the remaining brothers shot a cold look at the loose-lipped man and he could see their auras coming to the surface. One aura in particular worried him.

“Bro that was seriously uncool” Beelzebub said, spitting crumbs everywhere.

“What the hell Levi, you can’t get into a girls pants with that, unless... ooh hooo are you a tsundere or something?” Asmodeus giggled, but he still had a stern look on his face. If there was one thing he hated in this world it was a loudmouth.

“Leviathan...not only did you insult the girl, you let her run off alone, unsupervised before I even gave her a DDD phone; do you have any idea how dangerous that is?” Lucifer placed his gloved palm on his head in annoyance.

“Go after them **now** , and take the DDD with you.”

“HUH? Why should I have to chase after the human, Mammons already gone for her, why didn’t you give him the DDD?” The truth was that Levi didn’t want to end up on Mammon's bad side after this, if he chased after them both he was sure to get an earful out of him too.

“ **I do not care why. Just do it or I will ram your tail down your throat and peel your scales off, one by one**.” The oldest brother glowed with a red aura, he was furious and embarrassed at his brothers behaviour and now he was trying to make excuses.

The other brothers looked on in horror, they were all terrified of Lucifer in his usual state, but for him to get so angry to reveal his demon form was a fate they did not want to meet.

“Eeep!” the purple haired demon yelped, he yanked the DDD from Lucifers grip and high-tailed it out of the hall.

“Well that was eventful and it’s only the first day” Satan sighed and the remaining brothers went on with their duties.

* * *

A purple blur was rushing through the classrooms and various corridors, panting and sweating up a storm.

_Haa..haa… I should...really work out more._

Just as he was about to give up he heard a deep chuckle. _Is Mammon..laughing?_

Levi followed the sound and slowed his pace until he was sneaking.

“Ya don’t say? Hahha I’m sorry for laughin’ but you should probably tell ‘em, Lucifer will be giving Levi hell for that right now” tears still in his eyes from the confession, Mammon was sat on the higher step of the staircase whilst Em was sat against the wall with her knees up against her.

“I’m sorry.. I didn’t want anyone to know my real name, so when I got transferred here I picked something that sounded cool.” her voice was a decibel above a whisper but it was a soothing feminine tone. She played with her long curled hair, twisting it around her finger and sighed.

“The truth is errrm...Mammon was it? I’m not very good with people… I never have been. And I wanted to make a good first impression. I never usually wear makeup or even dress like this, so I’m sorry if I deceived you all.” she had tears in her eyes now and had wiped the offending lipstick off with her sleeve.

Levi clutched his chest feeling a pang of guilt, and before he realized it he was walking over to them with his head hung in shame.

 _Ugh, she was just trying to make a good first impression and I ruined it_.

“… sorry to intrude.” he sighed, holding out the new phone but looked away, unable to meet the gaze of someone who he’d hurt. “I’m.. I’m really sorry. I didn’t mean to overhear but I’m not good with people either and I tend to say the first thing that comes out of my head. Em? Can I call you Em? You look nice and I act-actually l-l-like your dress I just didn’t think Diavolo would let you wear something that wasn’t uniform because a few months ago I accidentally dyed my uniform pink and had nothing to wear on the final day so I showed up in one of my Ruri-chan t-shir-”

“Oi… Levi? Come back to us” Mammon snapped his fingers and sighed, his brother's apology had started off strong but devolved as he’d trailed off on a ramble about his animé again. “Em, you might wanna just accept his apology or we’ll still be here when it's time for you to return to the human realm” he whispered and threw a suggestive glance to her.

Em stood up trembling but wiped away her tears, tapping Levi’s shoulder. He was thrown back into reality by the touch of another soul.

“Ahhh!? Ah, s-sorry I didn’t mean to get carried away there, it’s just sometimes when I’m nervous I think of Ruri-chan because she-”

“Levi” she flinched at the sound of her own voice “I accept your apology.” fidgeting with her hands she took a deep breath and continued “I wanted to tell you before that you were right, I put on this big act and pretended to be someone who I wasn’t. I don’t wear makeup, I never wear dresses and my name isn’t actually Emilia Cortez, it’s Emilia Cartel… the truth is I stole the surname from a character in a game… I’m so sorry for deceiving everyone!” she bowed her head expecting to be reprimanded.

_Did she just say game? GAME? WHAT GAME_

Levi’s guilt ridden expression melted away, replaced with an ecstatic glaze over his tangerine eyes and a dreamy smile. He grabbed Ems hand absent mindedly.  
“Wait you? A human! A human that plays games!” this was almost too good to be true for him.  
“What game, is it a horror? No RPG? JRPG? FPS?...Otome?” he listed all known genres to man, demon or angel as Mammon sighed staring at the ceiling; in that moment he realized he’d always wondered just how many white tiles there were up there.

“An FPS called Clocksp-”

“CLOCKSPLITTERS?! Dude I looooove that game. Wait! So your name is derived from Sergeant Cortez?”

She blushed and shrank her head into her shoulders. “...Yeah, I know its stupid but it was the last game I played before I got here”

_Oh my demon lord, this might be the start of a beautiful friendship. But she barely talks… and I thought I had issues around people._

“Hey, never apologize for liking games; that is rule #1. Rule #2 depends on which Mokepon starter you picked!”

_According to readit.com this is the best way to get to know someone; if she answers with Dinobulb or Turtlegun then we can’t be friends._

“Burnewt” she answered with confidence, slightly humoured by Levi’s statement.

_A human with good taste, this is unusual. I have to get her friendcode so we can trade Mokes; maybe we can do battle sometime too!_

“Rule #3 is we need to trade”

She said nothing and nodded at him cautiously.

“Hey guys, I’m still here y’know” Mammon was away in his own world, he’d counted the tiles around the room three times whilst the two had had their little nerdgasm; there were 306 tiles exactly.

Getting lost in the moment had dulled all of their senses and they hadn’t noticed the taller brown haired figure standing beside them. It was the Demon Prince and he was wearing his own uniform; however his was a blood red military coat similar to Lucifers in length, with a blue ribbon accent. Underneath was a formal black shirt with gold button-down collars as well as a neat looking pearl tie.

“So! Leviathan, Mammon and Em it looks like you’re getting along splendidly already! Excellent.” Diavolo beamed, this would look great for the academy if things went smoothly for the entire year. “As much as I don’t want to interrupt everyone I’m afraid it is time to get to your introductory lessons for the term, Em make sure you add everyone on your DDD; Mammon will see to anything you need and I’m always around so just ask if you have any questions. Very good, enjoy your first day.”

And with that the trio were whisked away, Mammon and Em went to get settled in class together whilst Levi retreated back to his room to continue his studies.

He slammed his bedroom door shut and threw his headphones back on, there were only two hours of work to do if he really crammed hard; doing work in isolation meant no-one could yell at him for taking breaks.

It didn’t take long however for his phone to buzz. He groaned, it was probably Lucifer or Satan scolding him for his actions earlier; he’d deal with them later at the evening meal.

_I’ll just take a peek then get stuck into this assignment..._

**Em has added you as a contact.**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok I love writing this so much haha, I'm already 3 chapters in. I've decided I'm going to change up the story and add a lot more fluff inbetween and really reinforce everyone's friendships.
> 
> It's so fun thinking up of ways to avoid copyrighted brands and names!


	3. An Awkward Dinner Service

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi spends some time talking with his brothers about the new human and everyone attends the evening buffet.
> 
> (I'm sorry this chapter is so long)

Levi raised an eyebrow at the friend request, he didn’t think she’d actually take him up on his offer. 

_Oh wait, Diavolo told her to add everyone. Duh.._

**You accepted Ems’ friend request. Say hi to your new friend with a wave.**

_Heh. No way am I going to be the first to talk to her. Whatever, Satan and Asmo are online so I guess I’ll talk to them for a bit._

**You logged into 345 (3).**

Asmodeus: I’m just saying Satan, you’d look really cute with your hair slicked back! Oh. Heyyy Levi~

Satan: Oh you’re in big trouble, Levi. Lucifer is totally pissed with you.

Asmodeus: Ya he might even bring his whip out on you ~

Leviathan: Ugh can we not talk about that, plus I apologized to the human didn’t I? I don’t see why Lucifer has such a stick up his ass about it.

Satan: Because we’re members of the student council so we have a reputation to uphold and if our rep goes down that means Lucifer won’t look good in the eyes of his boyfriend.

Leviathan:... Boyfriend?

Asmodeus: LOL I think he means Diavolo~

Leviathan: LOL Satan didn’t know you were gap moe

Satan: What in Devildom is a gap moe?

Leviathan: You :’)

Satan:.... _anyway._ What do you think of Emilia, Asmo? 

Leviathan: LOL now you’re ignoring me? I see how it is ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Satan: No. I just thought there was no point in asking you because you made your feelings _very_ clear, in fact to most of the school. :)

Asmodeus: I think she’s super cute~ I couldn’t help but notice she’s really shy but you guys know I like a challenge. 

Asmodeus: And not talking has its benefits in certain...situations ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Leviathan: ಠ_ಠ

Satan: ….Ahem

Satan: Yes she did seem a little…reserved. I don’t know what to think about her right now. At first glance just another human I suppose? However, I can’t help but feel a little sorry for her being stuck with Mammon of all demons. *sigh*

Satan: Anyway, Levi? Weren’t you supposed to be studying… get back to it.

Levi sneered at the message from his younger brother.

Leviathan: Yeah yeah I’m going. I’m just finishing up this essay and then I’ve got a Runequest event to do :D

Asmodeus: You and your games Levi lmao ~ You know you're never gonna get a girlfriend if you're such an addict~

Leviathan: Why would I ever want a girlfriend? All I need is Ruri-chan <3 

Asmodeus: Sure but you can't kiss and do things with her, she's not real~

Leviathan: >:( how dare you, she's real to me! I can kiss and hug her body pillow anytime I want to. 

Asmodeus: That's not exactly what I meant....you're so innocent hehe~

Leviathan: I know what you meant, you're being gross again. Besides I don't see you having a girlfriend or boyfriend.

Asmodeus: Who needs to be tied down to one person, I can have anyone at anytime I want , do you want some numbers?~

Satan: Sorry to interrupt this...whatever it is but I have to go too, I'm actually sat in English right now. See you both at dinner :)

Asmodeus: Oooh Satan, you're so naughty~

Leviathan: So... you're sat in class on your phone but you tell me to get back to work? Hypocrite.

Satan: Hmm? sorry I've got to go.

Satan has gone offline.

Asmodeus has gone offline.

Leviathan has gone offline.

_Well that was pointless, I wanted to distract myself from having to do work and then all we ended up talking about was the human and other stupid things._

_"_ Pfffft girlfriend...who needs a girlfriend when I have you" He turned to a large pillow behind him, the woman on the fabric was a voluptuous figure who had long brown hair tied up into a loose ponytail and dark purple eyes, an everlasting beam of a smile on her face as he nuzzled into her affectionately before getting back to work.

* * *

“Finally! Ugh that took forever!” he slammed enter on his keyboard and uploaded his work to the teacher. Now that he was finished with school work he could get back to the joy in his life. With impressive speed he clicked the Runequest logo on his desktop and started bobbing his head a little too enthusiastically to the login screen music. 

_Time to grind out 99 cooking I guess._

With a flick of his wrist he cranked up the volume on his headphones and enjoyed the rest of the afternoon on his favourite MMO, but he was so caught up on his bronzeman challenge that he didn’t notice the chatroom notification popping off.

After an hour or so he glanced towards the time on his desktop. _Shit. I’ve only got 10 minutes before it’s time for the feast…_

 _O_ _h what's this, I have messages?_

**You have 3 unread messages.**

Em: Hello Leviathan, I’m sorry again for what happened. It's totally all my fault.

Em: Oh and my friend code is ************. I’m really looking forward to playing with you, I actually hatched a few shinies the last time I played so if you want one just say the word; Ah but I’m still waiting for my luggage atm so I don’t know when that’ll be. Would you mind trading anything with me; I have a Hauntey and I really want to evolve it but I lost touch with the only other friend who played back in the human realm ^^.

Em:Anyway you’re probably busy right now so...that’s all I had to really say ^^’

A ghost of a smile passed his lips, he remembered the struggles of not having any friends to trade Mokepon with. She seemed so friendly. He cringed at the thought of his actions, he’d apologize properly in his own way.

Swiping through his phone he found his Akuzon icon and pressed, scrolling rapidly through the online store.

_She said she liked Burnewt too right? If I recall they released a plush keyring of it a few weeks ago...it’s the least I can do and I have a discount anyway. Actually I could lie to Mammon about the amount he owes me; So I guess this on him._

**Email from Akuzon: Order #666. Thank you so much, your item will be delivered between 8am to 12pm tomorrow.**

_Ah! I’d better head to the banquet hall, everyone will be there now…_

He put his PC to sleepmode and did a quick check in the mirror, ruffling his bangs in place so the longest strands hid the majority of his eyes. Throwing on his signature white and black jacket and straightening his three emoji badges he bid goodbye to his Ruri chan merchandise and hurried to the banquet hall.

* * *

He was the last to arrive as usual. The hall was filled with demons and demoness’ and right at the back there was a large table where his brothers gathered, and one empty chair where Belphegor would have sat. A faint pang of emotion hit him, he missed his brother and it felt weird seeing another empty chair...ever since... _no, don't think about her_. Levi peered over at his brothers who hadn’t really noticed him yet, Beelzebub was devouring a whole pizza to himself, Asmo was fixing his hair and kissing a small compact mirror like he was out to impress someone, Satan rolled his eyes in boredom and scrolled through his kindle and Lucifer was over by the buffet table in deep conversation with Diavolo and Barbatos. 

_Huh that’s weird, where’s Mammon and Em?_ And as if on cue…

 _“_ BOO!”

Levi jumped out of his skin and turned to meet Mammon who was grinning rather smugly wearing his go-to leather brown and white aviator jacket with jeans. "Hah I scared ya didn’t I?” Em was behind him concentrating on the floor and blushing slightly; she had also swapped out her clothing, her dress was now replaced by a black graphic tshirt and some baggy jeans; the polar opposite of how she looked that morning.

Mammon turned to her and patted her shoulder, his tinted shades rested on his white spikes. “Hey Em, no need to be shy; Levi won’t say anythin’ to you again alright? if he does I’ll make him regret it.” the white haired demon shook his fist at the otaku.

She snapped her head up meeting Levi’s orange pupils and stammered out a greeting of sorts and bowed rather formally for someone wearing such casual clothing.

“Well uhh.. no .. it’s uhhh….. H-hi Leviathan”

“Uhhh hey, you can just call me Levi you know.... Oh! whoops, I just realized I forgot to respond to your message earlier, my bad. LOL” he mentally cursed himself for getting too caught up in Akuzon to actually bother responding, if he kept making bad impressions she’d surely end up hating him.

_She’s completely different in person than she is online._

Mammon smiled sadly at Em and mouthed to Levi that he’d talk to him after dinner. The three of them ended their conversation and joined everyone at the buffet, where Em barely spoke three words and ate in silence whilst all the brothers had various arguments, disagreements and teased each-other. It felt very uncomfortable for everyone involved.

Beel was the first to approach her, after he’d scarfed down another chicken leg. “So….Em! How was your first day...besides this morning of course” he flashed a cheeky grin at her. His face covered in crumbs and pizza grease. Levi smirked at his older brother, at a first glance he was quite intimidating due to his height and stockier build but he could also be quite a sweetheart as long as he was fed and watered.

Em failed to meet his gaze and stared at her plate, forcing out a reply“..... It was..good.” Lucifer sat at the end of the table, his eyes fixed on her, then he threw a glare at Levi and frowned.

The rest of the brothers were convinced she was acting like this because of what occurred at the ceremony. But then Mammon piped up.

He smiled at the small girl reassuring her ,prodding her with his elbow “Yeah it was pretty good, Em’s not the smartest though haha she got most answers wrong in Alchemy; but as we all know humans ain’t as smart as demons; right Em?”  
  
She smiled and nodded. “Please excuse me” then suddenly got up and walked over to where Diavolo was sitting. The two of them exchanged a few words and Diavolo nodded in understanding, ushering her out of the hall where the two of them disappeared; leaving the brothers all alone.

Lucifer crossed his arms and had an intimidating aura around him “Alright Mammon. Spill. You didn’t like humans or the thought of being stuck with Em this morning so why the sudden change?” 

“Yeah, if she hadn’t _just_ got here this morning I’d say you liked her~” Asmodeus was all ears in this conversation, he had a thirst for gossip. Mammon contemplated for a second before speaking and sighed in defeat.

“Alright. Listen up. So this mornin’ I was totally against spendin’ time with a human because they can be a pain but I noticed real fast that she’s not like any other human I’ve met. She doesn’t look at people in the eye or talk very much, and this mornin’ when I chased after her I found her bent over breathing real hard like she was about to vomit or somethin’. So I asked her if she was alright and needed me to take her to the infirmary and she told she can’t handle crowded places and the way we were all circling her made her feel like she couldn’t breathe.”

The brothers listened intently, Levi felt terrible; infact he had an inkling something was wrong with Em after their brief exchange. Mammon took a sip of wine and carried on his turn of events.

“Basically guys, she’s got somethin’ called social anxiety. I can’t even count the amount of times she froze up in class when the teacher called on her. So that’s why I’m bein’ so nice alright? I was all for teasin’ her till I saw her like that this mornin’ so if you guys aren’t careful I’ll beat the shit out of you.” 

_Ah_ . _Well, now I feel even worse._

Everyone stared in silence. Lucifer smirked and acted like it was no big deal, letting his brothers continue the conversation around him. 

“Ah…..that explains it. I’ve got a few books in my library on human psychology and it’s said it’s quite common in recent years.” Satan nodded, glad to be rid of the mystery.

“Awwh that’s so cuuuuute .Wait, wait! Does this mean I can hit on her all I want and she won’t refuse? If so yay~” Asmodeus clapped his hands and smiled playfully. Satan smacked him over the head with his kindle, then checked it for any scratches. “Idiot. In the books I read you have to treat them with care, you can’t go running your mouth off or she’ll never come out of her shell.” 

The redhaired glutton who hadn’t said anything for a while tore his attention away from his plates, a serious expression on his face “Is social anxiety something that can be cured with food?” Everyone face palmed.

“Levi, you’ve been oddly quiet this evening, no spiels about Muri-chan or whatever its called” said Beel.

Levi glared at him with disgust and wished he were able to blow people's heads off with his mind “It’s RURI-CHAN, how dare you sully her name!” the purple aura flared up around him. He was about to throw hands with his bigger and much stronger sibling but they were interrupted by a deep coughing noise.

“Ahem, sorry to interrupt boys.” It was Diavolo, in tow with Em who was staring at Levi and Beel with wide eyes. “Ems feeling better now but she’s a bit worn out from the big day” he pointed at the silver haired brother who was swirling his wine glass. “Mammon do you mind escorting Em back to her room- she seems to trust you so consider this warning; don’t do anything that would sully your reputation.” The demon prince smiled innocently but threw a warning glance at Mammon; he’d surely give him a world of hurt if he did anything inappropriate to the exchange student. 

Levi smacked himself, that was twice in one day he’d been made to look like an idiot now.

_This is why I don’t like dealing with other people...so I can kind of understand how Em feels._

He dug his phone out of his pocket and scrolled mindlessly whilst he had nothing better to do.

Mammon hiccuped “Ah! Umm ya know I would Lord Diablo-” Diavolo looked at him quizzically and slightly amused.” buh am not finished wif my drink yet” Mammon stood up slurring his words; he’d barely drank a full glass of wine and he was tipsy, he reached over to the center of the table where the bottle sat. 

Lucifer slapped his hand away from the bottle “I think you’ve had enough dear brother, I don’t think you’re in a fit state to climb all those stairs, perhaps someone else should escort her”.

He glanced around the table at his siblings, Mammon was in no such state, Asmodeus was an immediate no; he’d surely try _something_ on with the poor girl, he wouldn’t even bother asking Satan as his brother was determined to ignore requests out of rebellion. The only suitable candidates seemed to be Beelzebub and Leviathan and after this morning he wasn’t sure it was a good idea pitting Em and the loudmouth together.

He snapped his fingers in conclusion “Beelzebub! Can you take Em back to her room? I’ll buy you a box of donuts before tomorrow’s meeting.” the oldest brother smirked; blackmail always worked with Beelzebub when it came to food. 

“Hah? Uhh y’know normally I wouldn’t turn down a box of donuts but I practically begged Simeon to take me to the new dessert place later and I can’t say no to that now” He stood up, dwarfing everyone at the table. “OI! Simeon! We still on for later? Huh? Yeah I can be ready by then, cool.” he slammed himself back down to the table and started piling more food on his plate. 

The oldest brother frowned “Then that means the only demon who can go is..”

_Don’t say it. I don’t want to do it but I feel bad that no one else will go, but its probably not the best idea for me to be alone with her..._

_Whatever; I’m sure someone will change their mind when I turn the offer down, my hopeless brothers will always bend over backwards for a girl._

_“_ Nuh uh, go yourself Lucifer. I’ve got things to do, besides I thought you didn’t trust me around her “ the otaku tapped away on his phone, not even bothering to face his oldest brother.

Lucifer chewed his lip in irritation; so hard he could taste blood. “Tsk. Unfortunately I can't because _somebody_ drank too much so I have to make sure he doesn't do anything stupid." Unbeknown to them, Em had returned to the table watching awkwardly as everyone made excuses to not take her to her room. 

A small voice interrupted “It’s fine guys, I can go by myself… I actually prefer being alone anyway” the human girl stood up and walked off, waving awkwardly to everyone.

Leviathan peeked over his phone, he felt guilty again because Em had probably just said that to diffuse the situation; even if she didn’t like being in other peoples company it couldn’t have been easy to listen to everyone bickering over you.

_It's not fine though is it, you look pretty down about it._

_Ugh..._

He watched her walk off, biting his lip in hesitation until she was out of view. In the end his conscience won, he stood up and stretched his legs faking a yawn. “Uhhhh I’m gonna take off too guys, see you tomorrow!”


	4. Slowly and Calmly

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the feast Levi goes looking for Em and runs into some trouble.

The corridors stretched on endlessly as Levi searched for a trace of long black hair in the sea of heads. 

_She’s not even been here a day and I’m chasing after her again...._

He sighed, panting as this was the most exercise in one day he’d ever gotten apart from running around the Devildom to attend a midnight release of Ruri-chans latest figurine a few months ago.

“Ew did you see that girl earlier? I could smell her from here; human filth.” Levis eyes shot over to a group of demons; they were insulting Em quite openly. RAD had a zero tolerance policy of bullying but when it went under the radar it was always the demon brothers who stepped in and fulfilled their student council duties. Levi had never been in or started a fight before apart from with his siblings; you could call it guilt from him doing the exact same thing to her that morning, he wasn't letting this go.

“Yo. keyboard warriors… if you don’t have anything nice to say you shouldn’t open that mouth of yours.” he flexed his purple aura and cracked his fingers, his black horns started poking slowly out of his head. 

_I’m so not ready for a fight but the best way to deal with trash is to scare them. Hopefully this works._

“Before I teach you the meaning of pain, tell me where the human went.” his voice cracked slightly under the pressure; he glanced at them remaining stoic to keep up the tough guy act. His tail was flicking from side to side, ready to strike at any second.

The largest of the group stepped forward and squinted upwards at the otaku, trying to place him. “Uhhh..wait, aren’t you…Lucifers younger brother?" His face went as white as a sheet as realization hit him. "WE TAKE EVERYTHING BACK WE’RE SORRY! She went that way, you just missed her!”

“Ba’al what are you doing it's only the nerd, he won’t do anything look at him; he’s too scared” the smaller demon with bright blue hair sneered, whilst the other green mopped one just glared with contempt.

_Oh no._

“Bro I don’t care, if we hurt him can you _imagine_ what Lucifer would do to us?!” the young demons bowed their apology and ran as fast their legs could carry them. Levi sighed in relief and relaxed himself. _She went that way huh_ he picked up his pace and followed their directions past the long empty classrooms and through the portrait room. 

It was only when he reached the staircase that he heard a faint melody.

The girl was sat on the indent of the staircase about halfway up, swishing her legs and tapping her jeans; she had a pair of earphones on and looked in her element as she sat there humming the lyrics to some unknown song.

_Remember what Satan said...slowly and calmly approach._

Levi gulped air and approached cautiously, he followed her to make sure she got to her room safely but now that he was here he was regretting it deeply; he’d never been alone with a girl other than ruri-chan before.

“Umm...sorry to bother you, Em?” he bent down infront of her slowly and tilted his head; doing his best to show her a trusting smile. Her ocean coloured eyes flashed open and she flinched slightly whilst taking one of the earphones out, offering him one in silence.

Levi was taken aback by the sweet gesture for a moment and then regained his composure. “Huh? You want me to join you, I-I would but I don’t like the feel of the buds; that’s why I have these” he remarked as he tapped his favourite yellow and teal headphones that rested around his neck.

“Oh. Well….that’s okay, sorry” she said in a small voice. She frowned at him as if she wanted to say something but then shook her head and smiled.

Levi looked at her quizzically and she returned his gaze with a sheepish smile.

“I...got lost, I’m...useless aren’t I” her voice cracked, she was clearly not used to talking so much.

_Of course you got lost, did they even tell you where your room was?!_

_I'm surrounded by idiots..._

He froze, he really didn’t know what to say in these sorts of situations; he scanned his brain trying to remember anything useful from an anime or a manga he’d read, no such luck so he settled on insults to cheer her up.

“Uhhh yeah you are, but it’s not entirely your fault; my idiot brother was supposed to look after you. Honestly why Diavolo picked him for the job is beyond me, he is selfish, greedy, manipulative and he'll do anything for a bit of cash; you know he's owed me money for the past 260 years now? I still can't believe he got drunk off one glass of wine; for the avatar of greed he can't really handle his drink, I haven't drank alcohol in a while but at least I can control myself"

She curled her lips into a small smile and giggled. "I don't know...about that but, I think he's..actually quite kind. He..talks _ALOT.._ but it's nice"

_This girl is weird..she's standing up for Mammon of all demons?_

_Humans are far too kind._

After absorbing the shock that the strange girl had just defended his older brother, Levi realized he'd talked a bit too much. “Ah sorry! I went on one of my rants again, I hope you don't think I talk too much either" he laughed nervously, throwing his hands back into his pockets. " But really. Are you sure you’re okay? I can...can…”

_Just spit it out, damn it._

He bit his tongue in frustration as the words he wanted to say would not come out.   
  
_I'll walk you to your room_   
  
It was something one of his cooler brothers would say, not him. Just as he gathered his strength a slender green haired man with soft features approached them from the other connecting corridor.

“Ahhh Em, was it? Lucifer sent me to ensure you found your room” the man smirked innocently at Levi. Making them both jump with his presence.

_Damn it Barbatos._

“Ah yeah uhh it’s getting kind of late so I’m gonna head back” Levi shrugged and stepped away from the staircase.

_She probably would've been repulsed at the offer anyway, no-one would want to be seen with someone like me._

“G-goodnight, Levi” she smiled, returning to her comfortable silence. From the corner of her eye she watched Levi walk away with a somber expression on her face before being led to her room.

"Yeah" he trailed off without looking back.

* * *

Back in the safety of his room Levi hurled his jacket into a growing pile of clothes. He made sure his door was locked and leapt into his bathtub shaped bed, making a few of his pillows bounce.

“Arrrrrgh what the hell am I doing? That was like something from a damn shoujo manga!” he cringed and threw his head into his hands. “Pffft, well I’m never doing something like that again, I got sweat all over my jacket; and I’ve probably made a few enemies after that heroic little stunt. Ugh. this is the worst” he grabbed a Ruri-chan body pillow and squeezed it tightly.

_This is why I don't get involved with other people_

Suddenly his phone beeped in his pocket, it was a chatroom notification.

**You have 1 new message.**

Em: I found my room, finally \ (•◡•) /

Leviathan has logged on.

Leviathan: Haha congratulations! Is it everything you were hoping for?

Em: There’s a few cracks in the wall and it smells a bit damp but it’s better than nothing! 

Leviathan: aren’t you supposed to be the heroine lol, can’t believe they gave you a run down room like that >_>

Em: Heroine? haha . No honestly it’s fine, it has a rustic charm to it, I don’t mind ◕‿◕｡

Em: Oh I’ll let you know as soon as my Zwitch comes and we’ll trade? If you want to I mean!

Leviathan: HELL YES

Leviathan: Umm I mean sure, sorry I tend to get a bit carried away when it comes to games ^^;;

Em: I’m the same haha, dw about it (ง°ل͜°)ง Anyway I’ll let you go now, you seemed tired before.

He stared down at the last message and found himself fixated on the odd emoticon. "Pffft what’s with that emoji hahahahh” echoing laughter filled his bathtub.

Em: Have a good night Levi :)

Leviathan: You too.

Em has gone offline.

Leviathan has gone offline.

He slid his phone under his pillow and stared up at the ceiling. It was a shame she only really communicated with him through text but it felt nice to talk to someone other than his brothers for a change; Levi didn’t really have any friends except his pet goldfish Henry and the new human Solomon; they'd hit it off fairly quickly just before the feast had started due a shared love and adoration of TSL.

Feeling his eyelids getting heavier he flicked the light-switch off with his tail and passed out.

**You have unread messages.**

**The Demon Brothers (6)**

  
Lucifer: **@Leviathan** Don’t think I’ve forgotten about your punishment.

Mammon: heyyyyy guys, how you feelin tonight; everythin’ is spinnin’ lollllllll

Satan: Mammon please go to bed. 

Lucifer: Yes, Go to bed. I didn't carry you to your room so you could pull an all-nighter. You all have class tomorrow and if you don't show up you'll have more than a hangover to worry about.

Satan: You carried him? That's something I wish I'd seen. Btw where is Levi, its not like him to be asleep this early.

Asmodeus: Oh I know exactly where he disappeared to heehee~

Asmodeus: he might be doing things other than sleeping~ ♥‿♥

Lucifer: Don’t be ridiculous.

Mammon: Ehhhh whaaaaaa LEVI GOT LAID? ARE YA JOKIN?!

Satan: HAH Not in a million years.

 _Ping. Ping. Ping._ The noise was deafening, Levi scrunched his amber eyes open and sighed, searching for his phone reluctantly.

“Ugh I’ve only been asleep for an hour guys, damn it.” He scrolled through the unread messages, his face burning at what his sex obsessed brother was suggesting.

Leviathan has logged on.

Leviathan: What the hell are you on about? I came straight back to my room after dinner and watched some TSL and fell asleep after Volume 4.

Asmodeus: That’s not what a little demon told me ~ 

Asmodeus: I was told that you chased after Em and were sweet talking it up with her by the staircase ;)

_It must have been Barbatos, those two are oddly friendly with eachother._

Leviathan: Ohhhhhhh yeah I remember now, I went to that part of the mansion because my toilet isn’t working properly. I just happened to bump into her on my way there LOL

Satan: Really now? So you’re telling us you walked all the way to the other side of the House of Lamentation when you could’ve just gone down the stairs and took the 2nd door on your right and used mine :)

Lucifer: If that's the case I'll send a handyman to come take a look at it tomorrow. 

Leviathan: Ahhh..no need! I just tried flushing it and it seems to work again, heh weird right?

Asmodeus: It is very strange that it started working when Lucifer mentioned a handyman~ must be magic~

Mammon: this is why I love ya, all of ya, never a dull day <3

Leviathan: Shut up all of you! I’m going back to sleep, don’t bother me.

Asmodeus: Oooooh you’re so defensive!~ Hahaha

Mammon: Leviiiiiii in the mornin you need to give me all the deets ya hear?

Beelzebub:....hey guys... what’s going on? I just got home ಠ_ಠ

Satan: Mammon go to bed please, you’re being more insufferable than usual...Beel I'll update you in the morning.

Lucifer: Calm down everyone, @Mammon if you're not in bed within the next 30 seconds I will set Cerberus on you. Yes Leviathan sweet dreams; **whilst you can enjoy them.**

Mammon has gone offline.

Leviathan has gone offline.

“Well you’re going on silent mode now, if I don’t wake up on time it’s on them.” and with that he threw himself back and curled up; this time in a peaceful sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot happened in one day huh? I know I know it's hectic for 24 hours. There's going to be a liitttle time skip next chapter because I could honestly write day in day out for this fic but I'm not sure anyone would continue reading past Chapter 20 being a week later....
> 
> We're going to start getting into the games main storyline now, I just really wanted a bit of fluff to start us off and set things up. This IS a slow burn romance (I have to keep reminding myself of that). Both Levi and Em have some things to work on before this goes full blown shoujo trash.
> 
> Thank you so much for reading and I'll see you in the next chapter!


	5. Kitchen Date

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The brothers have started slowly forming an unlikely friendship with the human girl but Em won't talk to Levi unless it's over the DDD.

A week had passed since Em had joined the ranks of the academy. She was slowly starting to fit in with everyone in class as far as Levi was aware. Though that probably had something to do with the five school council demons always hanging around her.

The brothers had started to hound Mammon with questions about the human girl because she was shrouded in so much mystery, all except one who had formed a small bond with her online, however they barely spoke to each other in person except for passing glances of acknowledgement and a smile here and there.

Levi slumped in his gaming chair, he cracked his fingers and arched his back; he had been playing Runequest for most of the evening and it’d taken a toll on his body, but now his attention was directed towards his phone.

**Mokepon trainers (4)**

Em: So I’ve got two shiny Hammerbees if anyone wants one? I got super lucky on my last chain! So first come first serve boys ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Asmodeus: ooooh is it a cute one, if so I need it on my team <3 ~

Solomon: Ugh I’m not really a fan of Hammerbee tbh; the shiny is so _ugly_

Leviathan: You’re ugly! Hammerbee is a beast! @Em I’ll be glad to add him to my team :)

Asmodeus: Eh it’s ugly :( ? I’ll pass then...  
  
Asmodeus: Oh I wonder why Levi wants it ;) ~ 

Em: LOL Levi omg! Solomon ignore him haha.

Em: What do you mean Asmo :o

Leviathan: Ignore him Em. please.

Em: I mean I don’t get half the things Asmo says anyway so alrighty :D

Solomon: Wow are you still salty over that last match @Leviathan? (¬‿¬)  
  
Leviathan: N-no! Why would I be! 

Em: I did tell you to swap into Burnewt but you wouldn’t listen (ಥ﹏ಥ)

 _Burnewt…_ he shuddered and glanced towards his desk drawer. It had arrived the day after he’d bought it and intended to give it to her as an apology present for his rudeness on the first day, but for some reason he couldn’t bring himself to give her a gift. His brothers on the other hand were constantly showering Em with gifts; Beel made sure she never went hungry, Mammon was too much of a cheapskate for any physical gift but he kept her company and helped her study when struggling with things. Satan had given her free access to his library as she seemed to like reading in her spare time, Asmodeus kept teasing that he’d give her the best present ever on her birthday (himself), infact even Lucifer had bought her something. A purple tie for her school uniform; it was a required accessory but that still made Levi feel that prickly sensation.

His brothers were so easy going and didn’t second guess themselves like he did and even such a simplistic gesture scared the wits out of him. However he still found his hand being drawn to the plush as he reached for it where he'd crammed it to the back of the drawer all those days ago. He shuffled aside his various clutter and grasped it, stroking it thoughtfully as his self doubt crept up once more, delighting in his torment. 

_I could never do something so bold, this isn’t who I am...._

And it was settled; he placed the plush keyring on his top shelf, still in its packaging.

_I’ll just keep it for myself._

_She'd be disgusted and throw it away anyway... I'm just saving myself the hassle._

He sighed heavily, weighing the decision up in his mind had been oddly stressful, but he'd dealt with it now and turned his attention back to his flashing phone.

Em: @Leviathan are you still there? I’ll send Cage over now ^^

Leviathan: Sorry yeah! I had to do something  
  
Asmodeus: Oh I bet I know what that was! Was it a quick one?

Leviathan: DON’T BE DISGUSTING!

Em: A quick what? I want to know ◉_◉

Solomon: No. Trust me Em, you really don’t.

Leviathan: Anyway! @Em sure, gib Cage. ༼ つ ◕_◕ ༽つ

Leviathan: btw why that name?

Em: three words.

Em: NOT. THE. BEES :D

Asmodeus: Huh, I don’t get it?

Leviathan: LOLOL ROTFLMAO. Understood. (~˘▾˘)~

Solomon: Sometimes I feel like you two are from another world

Asmodeus: Well you’re not wrong.~

Solomon: Haha, touché. Anyway I’d better be off, us humans need sleep.

Leviathan: Are you suggesting Demons don’t?

Asmodeus: I sure don’t ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Leviathan: Stop. 

Leviathan: Thanks @Em, Cage made it safely.

Em: You’re welcome!

Solomon: Not at all! I was only referring to you ;)

Leviathan: What can I say, I’m a night owl. But seriously, demons need just as much sleep as humans; I just have more important things to do. 

Em: Like losing to Solomon in Mokepon battles...

Leviathan: Exactly!

Leviathan: Wait ಠ_ಠ NO!

Asmodeus: lol Em you tease~

Solomon: Right, I’m really going now. Also nice one Em lolol. Goodnight everyone! Levi, go to sleep before the sun ris- wait sorry, old habit. Sleep before your alarm goes off!

Solomon has gone offline.

Leviathan: I’m logging off now _SOLOMOM._ nn everyone :)

Em: LOL

Em: Goodnight! Sweet dreams ^^

Asmodeus: I’m sure they’ll be anything but teehee~

Leviathan has gone offline.

Looking down at his Zwitch he saw a green pixelated bee sprite, it was holding a letter.

_Dearest Levi,_

_Please take care of Cage, he’s_ **_BEE_ ** _n through some tough times but I promise he’s sweet as honey._

_Em_

“LOL her puns are so forced” he giggled to himself and leant back on his chair. He really enjoyed talking to Em and the past week had been rather entertaining; she laughed at his jokes and they played games together, but only from the comfort of a screen. Every time he even _thought_ about approaching her in real life she’d trickle away or conveniently had her earphones in, but over the computer or chat rooms she was always eager to talk.

It was starting to piss him off. 

_If she doesn’t like me she should tell me before I start getting my hopes up of actually having someone to call a friend..._

_“_ Hah yeah that’d be the day. She’d actually have to _talk_ to me” he chewed his lip.

  
Deciding sleep was for the weak, he grabbed a can of phd pepper out of his mini fridge and returned to his reality; Runequest. 

* * *

The hours slogged by, it was 3am now. The House of Lamentation was dark and lifeless, all except Levi’s room that was kept alive by the sound of vigorous tapping. 

_I should probably get some rest…_

His stomach growled and gurgled as he cast his gaze to the saffron coloured mini-fridge to the right of him. Disappointment struck him upon seeing that it was completely bare, not even a piece of candy graced his presence.

_Ugh I'm out of snacks._

He felt himself beginning to drift as his head started to lull, but shook himself out of it. It had been hours since he'd last eaten and playing games all night had worked up quite the appetite.

Suddenly a small beeping sound rang from his phone, causing his eyes to force themselves open.

_Maybe just something quick before bed._

**You have 1 new message.**

Em: Are you still awake?

_Nevermind me, why are you still awake?!_

Leviathan: Yeah, I was just about to head to sleep, what’s up?

Em: I think I hear voices coming from the wall and it’s really creeping me out, is this place haunted? (ಥ﹏ಥ)  
  
Leviathan: Wait, really?! I mean... I believe in ghosts; they have to exist if demons and angels do..right?

Em: You’re not making me feel any better here T-T

Leviathan: LOL sorry.

Leviathan: ...I was gonna get a 3am snack from the kitchen...if you want you can join me, you’d at least be away from the ghost. 

Leviathan: You don’t have to though.

Em: I’ll be there in five minutes.

His eyes nearly popped out of his head, she’d said yes to meeting him alone, in the middle of the night. Five minutes wasn’t really a lot of time to get dressed though, he threw his jacket over his ruri-chan pyjamas and sneakily tiptoed down the hall.

* * *

He crept into the kitchen, trying to avoid knocking any of the various pots and pans hanging from the ceiling rack, then suddenly he stiffened. There was a crackling and rustling sound coming from around the corner near the fridge, he panicked; diving under one of the counters and hid. 

“Mmmmf- so - good, Lucifers gonna kill me though” a low, deep voice muffled. It was Beelzebub, snacking on anything he could get his hands on and forcing it down his throat.

_Of course... I forgot he likes to pig out here._

Levi kept himself hidden. He didn’t want his brother to know what he was doing here at this hour, meeting a girl. They’d never let him live this down if they found out. He reached for his pocket to warn Em about Beel but felt nothing inside.

_CRAP I left my phone in my room!_

At that moment he heard footsteps approaching. _Oh please no! Don’t be her, don’t be her please!_

He peered his eyes over the counter, had anyone seen him he would’ve resembled a cat with his yellow eyes bouncing off the moonlight. Em was here at last, standing by the doorway. She was wearing a long black robe and fluffy pink bunny slippers; her hair tied back in a messy bun. 

“W-who’s there!” she trembled, clutching a nearby pan in her hand.

“Ack! Em! What are you doing here?.....is that a pan in your hand?” Beel jumped in surprise, rocking the counter that Levi was curled up in. The stowaway demon felt his heart almost stop and he clasped his hands over his mouth to steady his breathing.

“I.. I was.. hungry” she lied and gingerly set the pan back where she'd found it.

_Bless you Em, for covering for me._

“Oh, well you’re welcome to join me, I was just about to start on Mammons custard. Want a bite?”  
  
Em shrunk into her robe. “Are..are you allowed to take that?” she asked, hesitantly.

“Not really but it’ll be our little secret!” he smiled, handing her a dessert spoon. "Besides, it's only Mammon!"

“I-if you say so!” Feeling like she couldn't argue with that, Em accepted the offer. She'd repay the white haired demon in some form tomorrow.  
  
“Haha! Atta girl, pull up a chair then!” he cheered, scooting himself further down the counter to give her room. The two ate in silence, Levi didn't move a muscle, determined not to make a sound. It would have been awkward if he was caught now.

Beel could never stand silence, especially having been accustomed to being around so many loud mouth brothers for millennia, he glanced down at her and swallowed his spoonful politely before breaking the peace. “So Em, are you enjoying it here? I know you’re still not used to talking so just nod or shake your head.” 

Em nodded, smiling sweetly. There was a slight sadness in her eyes before she spoke “ Beel. can I ask you something?”

“S-sure!” he replied, slightly taken aback by the confident question.

“Where is your brother?” She asked, cautiously.

The redhead scratched his chin, confused by the vagueness. “......which one Em, you’re gonna have to narrow it down a little”  
  
“The seventh...I-i’m sorry for asking, it’s just something that Levi mentioned and I noticed that there are eight chairs at dinner.” she winced and looked down at her hands, knowing that this could be a touchy subject for the brothers.

Levi’s breath hitched, he wasn’t expecting her to ask about Belphegor. But it was true he had hinted there was another.

  
Beel choked on his food and spluttered “...Just so we’re clear. I’m not going to tell you anything, either. Lucifer would kill me if I did. And don’t ask the others about him, no one is allowed to talk about him. Even though he’s our brother...we have to treat him as if he doesn’t exist, it’s not right dammit!” He slammed his fists on the table and sighed heavily, his breathing erratic. 

Levi hung his head, he didn’t realize his brother was so affected by Belphies absence. He’d need to make amends with Beel after tonight. He snapped his head up as he felt Beels demonic power increasing.

 _Beel keep it cool_.

“You know what this doesn’t concern you. I’m leaving. I’ve lost my appetite…” Beel scowled, pushing past Em who attempted to follow after him. Levi couldn’t believe his brother snapped at her like that, she was trying her damn hardest to speak out; but she obviously hit a nerve.

_It should be okay to reveal myself now...I’ll just pretend I didn’t hear that._

The human girl stood frozen. Quite obviously shaken up by Beels sudden aggression towards her; her hands trembling.

“Psst….hey!” Levi, ushered her back over to the counter, just his hand could be seen poking out.

“G-g-ghost?” she asked innocently, stepping back out of fear.

“What?! No it’s me, Levi!” he jumped out of the counter, revealing himself. Blushing slightly at the thought of someone seeing him in his pyjamas, the fact it was a girl just made it all the more embarrassing and he cursed himself for not finding some more suitable clothing.

_I really should've changed...hell even coming shirtless would've been better than this._

Upon the sight of him her curious smile vanished, replaced by a recoil. “....what are you doing”

Levi noticed the drastic change in her attitude, she was back to her emotionless, cold front.

“Hiding, I didn’t want Beel to see me hanging out with a girl this late, do you know how long they’d tease me for?!” he groaned.

“...heh” She tittered awkwardly, wishing she was somewhere else. Although she had agreed to come it was obvious to herself now, she couldn't handle being alone with him again.

Levi averted his gaze, feeling very uncomfortable at the almost hostile body language. “So…umm....I’d better check if there's anything left”

_I want to die, this is so awkward._

He pulled out the chopping board from under the sink and walked up to the fridge studying its contents that were half eaten thanks to his glutton of a brother. 

_I’ll make our food and then leave asap._

He opened the fridge and recoiled, glistening right at the back of the freezer was a golden rectangular object.

“...Goldie..?”

“..what?” She furrowed her brow.

“Goldie...Mammons credit card is in the freezer!” He banged the block of ice on the side of the counter repeatedly. "I knew Lucifer was petty but this really takes the cake.."

More silence followed. Levi had had enough.

“....Em. can I ask you something?” he said as he grabbed a knife and started to chisel away at the card.

The girl froze for a second but quickly regained her composure.“... sure"

“Do you hate me? _"_ he dared not look at her right now and carried on chipping away, his cheeks flushed. Levi walked over to the microwave and launched the card in, turning the dial.

Em flinched, interrupted from her thoughts “N-no...” 

He stared into the microwave, anger and jealousy bubbling up inside him “Then..why won’t you talk to me IRL? You’re completely different on the DDD but only with me...is it because you’d rather be friends with someone better than a worthless shut in like me?” his voice wavered and he felt his face growing hot.

She bit her lip, fidgeting nervously but didn’t respond, her azure-bottle green eyes wide and panicked.

_As expected, not even worth a reply….I’ll just grab my food and go._

“Fine, I get it” he spat out. "I'll...I won't talk to you anymore, you don't have to worry about running into me for the rest of the year if I disgust you so much". Levi continued to make the two sandwiches in silence, after a long pause Em attempted to speak.

“...Levi, I-” 

The door behind them swung open and a tired but startled voice cried out.

“.....LEVI….EM...what are you two doing in here...alone!” standing by the doorway was Levi’s older brother; his teal eyes darting in suspicion at the two of them. Of course the first thing he'd noticed was the custard around Ems mouth but that wasn't important right now.

“Is….is that my baby in the microwave?!? GOLDIE?!” he stomped forward and took the card out of the machine, kissing it affectionately. “Gah, still hot! I hope you didn’t demagnetize her!”

“Oooh didn’t think of that…. Then you’d never be able to pay me my money back” Levi put on a fake smile, but on the inside he was screaming.

“A-anyway! You two! Are you on a date or something?” Mammon coughed, successfully changing the subject back to the pressing matter.

“Don’t be ridiculous,” he snapped. “she’s a human...amongst other things” he really didn’t want to talk to his brother right now, he wanted to just run back to his room and cry into his ruri-chan pillow.

“Ehhh! What’s up with you? You’re colder than usual” Mammon pouted sarcastically.

“Mammon!” She rushed to her friend's side. “I heard voices coming from my room and thought it might be a ghost”

“Eh? Ghost? Em it sounds like you just had a bad dream” Mammon patted her head “I told ya, I’d look after ya. Why didn’t you message me instead? _Someone like him_ ain't good company, you should know that.” Levi rolled his eyes and glared at his brother for the low dig.

“Oh please, I’m gonna bring my lunch back up.” he sighed and grabbed one of the sandwiches, slapping it on a plate. 

“Here.” He growled and reluctantly offered it to her.

It felt like an eternity when she eventually took it from him, the two of them refused to look at each other.

Mammon glanced at the two, sensing the incredibly awkward atmosphere “AHEM! Sorry to break this up but we’ve gotta get ya to bed. Class is in a few hours and _you_ need to be wide awake to study for this potions class, Em. And Levi, I already ate” he returned the smirk and ushered Em out of the kitchen at a hurried pace.

 _Yeah, whatever._ Levi grabbed his own food and headed back to his room. Hot tears threatened to fall as soon as he slammed the door, he grabbed his Ruri-chan pillow and squeezed her tightly, burying his head into it.

_I knew she didn’t want to be friends with me but to hear her actually say it..really hurt._

_This is why I don’t get involved with other people; they just hurt and disappoint you. Even Belphie left me in the end._

_And Lilith._

Tears erupted from his sunset-like eyes. He’d lost a friend just as quickly as he thought he’d gained one.

* * *

“Ughhhhhh my stomach, Beel must have switched the ham _”._ Levi hunched over his toilet, sweating profusely and looking even paler than usual. “Good thing I do my classes online…” he wiped the vomit off his lips and trudged slowly back to his bed. He'd been puking and crying most of the morning, if Lucifer saw him right now he'd slap him silly for not caring about upholding his reputation.

_Not to mention I really don’t want to face her today. Wait...oh god she ate the same food as me!_

Levi forced himself up and snatched his phone. "Is she okay? I gotta message her and-" What was he doing? She’d confirmed just a few hours ago that she hated him, was he really about to message her so casually after crying his eyes out?  
  
He scrolled through his rather short list of contacts. She wasn’t online. _Maybe she’s in class now?_ He checked the time, 8:05am. It was still too early; class didn’t start till 9. Had she blocked him already? 

Furrowing his brow he texted the only brother online; Mammon.

Leviathan: Hey, The ham last night must have been off… and I was wondering if Ems alright. Also please please send someone to my room with hot cocoa and blankets T-T look after you poor baby brother.

Ten minutes passed. Half an hour…. An hour had gone by. Levi’s phone remained silent, he was concerned now. Unfortunately he couldn’t do much in this state and felt the call of nature again as he rushed to the bathroom; determined not to puke over his bed. 

When he returned from the bathroom he saw a flashing light on his phone. _At last! My idiot brother must have had his phone on silent._

Mammon: Umm..I don’t know how to say this.

Mammon: Em is in the infirmary. We’re all with her now.

Any trace of nausea or contempt he held in that moment fizzled out in an instant and was replaced with concern and worry.

“What the hell happened!?” he grit his teeth. Should he drag himself to go see her? _No. She doesn’t need me there, she already has Mammon. He's her friend, I’m a nobody, I’m nothing to her; just a last resort._

He relaxed his body again, clutching his stomach. His tail hanging limply over the bath. 

Leviathan: ….was it the food? Is this a prank?

Mammon: Nah, I ended up throwing out that sandwich because she didn’t touch her food when we got back to her room last night; she didn’t say a word to me, did something happen between the two of you? Y’know what that’s not important right now.  
  
Mammon: Satan’s on his way, he’ll tell ya more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I originally wrote the kitchen scene as a light and fluffy moment but Em seemed too confident and out of character so I completely re-wrote it as some bitter angst. Em has her reasons for being like that with only him. (Feel free to guess in the comments!) but no doki doki feels for eachother...yet.


	6. The Pact

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi visits Em in the infirmary, another small timeskip and some fluffy moments.

Time felt like it came to a standstill waiting for Satan to get there. Levi paced up and down weakly; until he heard two strong knocks.

“Levi, it’s me” a silky smooth voice announced itself. The door nearly came off its hinges as Levi pulled it open; his breathing still shaky.

“RIGHT. WHAT THE HELL-” he coughed; shaking his disciplined brother.

“Calm down will you! You’ll make your fever worse.” Satan huffed, letting himself into the room and leant against his otaku brothers shelves before he spoke in a calm voice. "Em was attacked.”

“WHAT!” 

“We don’t know _who_ did it or why but Mammon found her lying at the bottom of the staircase.” Satan said as he turned and ran his hand over Levi's manga collection.

“....I-I need to see her.”

_What am I saying._

Apparently that sentence was also strange enough to get his brother to turn around, he was a little surprised at the urgency in Levi's usual mono-tonal, bored sounding voice. “I don’t think that’s a good idea, she’s unconscious right now and-” The blonde brother started but was cut off.

Levi raised his voice in a sardonic tone. “Oh I get it, so the rest of you are allowed to see her but because I’m the weak, pathetic shut-in I’m not worthy?” he snapped, getting into a jealous frenzy again.

The emerald eyed demon sighed with little patience left for his brother, who was always jumping to conclusions that knocked his own self esteem.“....That’s not what I meant. It’s not a good idea because of the state she is in and we don’t want you to lose your cool...I mean you’re already doing that right now. I barely held my rage in myself when I saw all the marks."

“M-marks?” Levi grew worried now.

Satan sighed in defeat “Don’t say I didn’t warn you. Get your jacket and clean yourself up. Are you going to be alright?” he studied his older brother and saw the puffy eyes and greenish tinge of ill on his skin.

“Y-yeah I’ll be fine” the sickly shut-in dragged himself to the bathroom and made sure he looked somewhat presentable lest he incur Lucifers wrath. 

“Okay. Just...try to stay calm.”

* * *

Beel, Asmodeus and Lucifer were sitting on the bench, their heads facing the ground. Beels fists were clenched, Asmodeus was chewing his nails and Lucifer was just sat with his eyes closed breathing in and out slowly. Their heads snapped up at the sound of Satan and Levi’s footsteps.

“Levi… you’re here! Wow you look like sh-crap. ” Beel embraced his brother who was fighting to be released. 

“G-get off me! You’d look bad too if you ate food that had gone off- anyway, where’s Mammon?”

_Though I really don’t need to ask._

“He’s not left Ems side since he brought her here” Asmodeus sighed furrowing his brow. “I don’t like violence but whoever did that to her has to pay.”

_Yeah I thought that._

“Agreed” Lucifer flashed his crimson eyes open and studied Levi. “Beelzebub was right, you look **terrible** " a small smirk quivering on his lip.

“Okay...now that we’ve agreed I look like shit, can we please focus on the situation at hand.” the purple haired demon rolled his eyes impatiently. “Can I see her?”

At that moment a flash of silver slinked out of the room next to them. “Levi, she’s awake. Come in.” 

Levi nodded at his brothers and skulked past Mammon. The room's white tiles and bright atmosphere caused the insomniac to scrunch his eyes in pain, but whilst he was trying to focus he saw something that made his heart almost stop.

In the bed infront of him lay the human girl, she was covered from head to toe in dark purple bruises. Her wrist was in bandages and she was breathing weakly.

It took every ounce of him to not lose it there and then. He would find the cowards that did this and make them pay. 

“L-e-vi?” A weak voice scraped out.

“E-em?! Who did this to you! Why!” He rushed over to her side in an instinctive reaction.

“I-its my fault” She smiled weakly. Unbeknown to him, Em was on her way to make things right between the two of them when she was attacked.

“What do you mean!” 

“I...should’ve told you in the kitchen”   
  
He knelt down to meet her face, hovering his palm over her good arm; then snatched it away.

“Levi..I don’t hate you, I’m really sorry I made you think that. I...don’t like to talk about it but-” her breathing grew weaker as she tried to convey her thoughts.

“Ahhh Leviathan! You’re here, good. Can I have a word with Em in private please?” Lord Diavolo had snuck in at some point and stood there beaming at the two of them. “So sorry if I interrupted anything. ”

 _These cliffhangers are worse than a damn Nettoon._

“O-oh...sure” he pouted and was led away by Mammon, who glanced back at Em sadly. The door shut behind them and Levi was reunited with a string of questions.

“Levi, what happened between you and Em in the kitchen?” Beel was the first to break the silence.

_Why did you have to ask in front of everyone? I mean I knew one of them would.. My brothers need to butt out of other people's businesses._

Asmodeus snapped his head up “Woah woah… something happened in the kitchen? What sort of thing. Levi please kiss and tell.”

“What indeed. Levi. speak.”

“Wha-! N-nothing happened, not like what you’re thinking Asmo. There’s only one woman for me and that’s-”

The brothers groaned in unison “Ruri-chan…we know!” Satan rolled his eyes. 

“It seems like you made up at least, whatever it was about” He smirked half-heartedly.

“For real, what happened Levi? You can tell us, no teasing I promise.” Asmo said in an unusually serious tone.

Levi sighed and slid down the wall, he still wasn’t feeling very well and the stress was getting to him. He recounted the events in the kitchen, leaving out the part where he overhead Beel and Ems conversation. The brothers remained quiet and then.

“You idiot.” Lucifer said, calmly.

“For once I agree with Luci~”

“Huh why are you ganging up on me!” Levi felt like he was being cornered again, it wasn't often he sought out his siblings advice and they'd just proved his point as to why.

Beel who had remained quiet suddenly spoke up “But wasn’t it blindly obvious she doesn't hate you? You’re always playing games and talking on the DDD with eachother.” he pondered for a second “you’ve got it completely wrong. She barely speaks unless we really pry it out of her.

“He’s right Levi, there’s no need to be jealous; I practically force myself on her all the time~”

“I really hope you’re talking about words there…” Satan furrowed his brow “You know you say the most shameless things Asmodeus. ”

“But Beel is right Levi, when she borrows books from my library she doesn’t stick around to have tea or anything. And I’m pretty sure she’s terrified of Lucifer….as anyone would be.” He continued, reassuring his insecure brother.

“Watch your tongue _leech_. But yes, the others have a point. The only one she seems to really talk to is Mammon for some bizarre reason.” Lucifer folded his arms. “Besides I thought you didn’t care for humans, why would she affect you so?”

“Yeah, you were so mean to her that first day, we all remember~”

“I-i..” Levi was interrupted from his rebuttal as Mammon stepped out to join everyone, with Diavolo in tow looking a little amused.

“So guys, I’ve sorta made a pact with Em. We decided with everythin’ going on if she ever needs someone, I can be there to protect her in a flash.” He threw a smug grin.

“Woah! Mammon I knew you cared for her but I didn’t expect a pact...when’s the wedding?~” the caramel-haired brother teased.

“S-shut up! It’s for her safety….Man if I find out who pushed her down those stairs they’re gonna be sent to a realm _above_ the celestial realm; Hell! They’ll have to invent a new realm for how dead I’m going to make ‘em.” He clenched his fist and flinched as Lucifer grabbed him by the neck.

“You need to calm down and shut up. This is the infirmary after all, let’s let her rest.”

“Agreed...besides Levi shouldn’t even be outside of his room right now, maybe you should head back.”

“Ah! Leviathan, could I borrow you for just a second, it’s about Em actually. But I need to speak to you alone.” Diavolo glared over at the brothers, his golden eyes piercing their souls if they had one.

They got the hint and all backed off.

_What could Diavolo possibly want with me…._

“Leviathan! You’re close with Em right?” the royal demon beamed down at him and clapped his hands.

“Umm actuall-”

“Great! I just wanted to ask you if you had any idea as to who would’ve hurt her, truth be told I’ve got nothing!” Diavolo pouted dramatically.

“Ehh?! I thought you had spi- I mean eyes all over the academy, what about Barbatos or Solomon?" 

“It’s #1 on my list of priorities right now, but unfortunately no-one saw who did it, Barbatos...and Solomon weren’t in the building at the time it happened. I’ve asked everyone else so it’s just you left.” He smiled innocently.

“R-right, of course. I have a name but to be honest I don’t think it was him, I got the impression they were too cowardly. ”

“Ah but wouldn’t a coward be the perfect fit for this sort of crime? Think about it, Em was approached from the back so she didn’t see her attacker; wouldn’t you agree that’s the work of a coward?” Diavolo pouted and scratched his chin in thought. “What’s the name? ”

“Ba’al. A lower ranking demon, crimson eyes with hair to match, hangs out with Manoroth and Illidan. I had a…..run in with them the day of the ceremony actually.”

“Ba’al, Manoroth and Illidan, perfect. Thank you for your cooperation, you’d better get back to your room now, I heard from the others you’re not feeling well. If there’s anything I can do to help just ask!” He tousled Levis violet bangs playfully.

"T-then please excuse me.” Levi bowed his head in respect, shaking his bangs back into place, and slumped off towards his room.

* * *

Leviathan was catching up on the latest episode of One Thing when his phone buzzed beside him.

“Oh come on! I’ve been waiting weeks to find out how this fight ends!” He groaned, rolling his eyes in annoyance.

**You have 2 new messages.**

Solomon: Just wanted to let you know that Diavolo found the culprits.

Solomon: Apparently Ba’al chickened out of it at first but stood and watched whilst Illidan and Manoroth pushed her. Diavolo’s arrested them for grievous bodily harm and they’ll be locked up for about 100 years as punishment.

Leviathan: Solomon…

Leviathan: That is the best damn news I’ve heard since Webflix cancelled their Death Book adaptation.

Solomon: Oh I agree with you on that, what on earth were they thinking? Ah but I have to go now, Barbatos needs me to sign for some human things. 

Solomon: You should go see her y’know, she’s introverted sure but so are you...you still get lonely right? and Mammon still has to attend the academy so he can’t be with her all the time.

Leviathan: Have fun with your “human” things, we still on for TSL quiz night next month? 

Leviathan: Yeah… I might if I get a chance to, I’ve been behind with my lessons lately, that food poisoning took it out of me for a good few days.

Leviathan: Of course I get lonely, fool. I'm not heartless.

Solomon: Definitely. We should invite more people though, it’s not fun playing with just you and getting my ass beat everytime.

Leviathan: Hah ignorant human! I cannot be beaten in my knowledge for TSL <3 Did you know I’ve memorized every single episode down to the separate frames?

Solomon: Pfffff you’re such a nerd.

Leviathan: H-hey!

Solomon: It’s a good thing. When I was first transferred here I was a bit intimidated by you and your brothers, I thought demons were going to be big scary monsters but then I saw you with your pink ruri-chan t shirt that one time and you were bopping your head to some anime OP. I knew you couldn’t possibly be dangerous, behind all the creepy weeb stuff you're actually a decent guy aren't you?

Leviathan: O-oi how can you say something so embarrassing! Besides I’m still intimidating, you haven’t seen me use my powers yet.

Solomon: Well no I suppose not, but I’m hoping I won’t have to. Anyway, gotta go! 

Solomon: We’ll talk again soon :)

Solomon has logged off.

 _He’s right… it’s been three days since the accident and I’ve only seen her once._ He glanced back at the paused episode of One Thing. 

“You know what… I can watch this anytime.” if anyone had heard him say that as he turned the tv off they would have thought Levi was possessed by some other worldly being. He stood up and changed his clothes, his ivory skin cool from the freedom of fabric for just a few minutes as he eyed his closet. 

_Hmmmm.. I guess I’ll go with this, no need to be formal or anything._

He settled on his Your Hero Academia graphic tshirt and some black jeans. But as he was putting his DVD on the shelf something small hit him on the head.

 _“_ Ouch! Huh?” He bent over to pick it up and his eyes widened. It was the keyring he had stashed away days ago. He chewed on his lip and stroked the parcel with the tip of his teal fingernails.

He stuffed the package in his jacket pocket before he could change his mind. _“_ It..would be rude to visit a sick person without a present. She never has to know _when_ I bought it right?”

* * *

The corridors were eerily quiet as he made his way over to the tower, it was still quite early in the morning so it was possible that everyone was still in their lessons, Levi darted his eyes around keeping an eye out for his brothers, if he was going to be visiting Em he didn’t want them to be interrupted this time.

He paused for breath, the staircase always did a number on him and bashfully tapped on the wooden door of Ems room. Suddenly realizing he was about to enter a girls room by himself. He heard a voice call out and shuffling footsteps behind the oak door and held his breath as it opened.

“O-oh Levi! I-I wasn’t expecting anyone” she gazed up at him with a look of shock, her face still had a few bruises but they were yellow in colour now starting to heal. His face twisted into one of regret, maybe if he hadn’t of said anything to those guys they would have left her alone. Em picked up on this and smiled. 

“Don’t worry, they’ll clear up soon“. She leaned her weight on the frame of the door and was wearing a black shirt with a white collar and a red plaid skirt, on her feet were the same pink bunny slippers she had worn on the evening they found Mammons credit card.  
  
T-that’s not the point!” he blushed, turning away. She seemed to be more like the Em he spoke to over the screen today, more confident and optimistic. Since the day he visited her in the infirmary it was true they’d started to become closer, she had with all of the brothers. Asmodeus had even gotten her to accept going for a coffee in the Devildom when she had recovered. Leviathan was sure his older brother Mammon's outgoing and fiery personality had started rubbing off on her; she was starting to come out of her shell more, albeit very gradually. She’d only been in the academy a few weeks so the thought of how much things would change in the span of a whole year both scared and awed him.  
  


“So...umm” the confidence shattered away like a fleeting dream. “D-do..you want to come in? I’ve just been given some anim-” she started.

“EH?! Which ones!” Levi entered his otaku state and his eyes shone brightly, any nervous feeling crushed by the mention of anything animé. Em took that as a yes and gestured with her good arm for him to come inside, meanwhile he was spouting about being interrupted halfway through the latest episode of One Thing.

If he wasn’t so caught up in the moment and talk of his beloved animé he would’ve taken note that Ems room reflected a lot of her personality just as his did. It was gothic but almost ethereal, fairy lights hanging on the grey wall all around them, like little stars on a blanket of space. A large deep purple bed in the middle of the room, facing a small outdated looking tv screen which was adorned with various anime figurines.

“Oh! That’s actually one of the DVDs Solomon gave to me!” she sat on her bed and ripped open a small brown package, producing a pile of DVD boxes.

Levi snatched the DVD from her. “Wha-! WE SHOULD WATCH IT TOGETHER, I can look for any easter eggs or animation errors in a second viewing!” He wasn’t lying, Levi was the type of person to re-watch things over and over, every viewing a different experience as he noticed frameskips, animation errors, subtitle changes varying from dvd to dvd, and sometimes he’d even listen to commentaries.

“I-if you’re sure, but it’s season 1...aren’t you all caught up?” she started fidgeting awkwardly, in his innocent nature and fangasm mode Levi had unconsciously perched himself on the end of her bed; now sitting inches away. 

“That doesn’t matter, trust me it’s worth starting over again just to hear your reactions to things! Oh it’s so good, you’ll be hooked by the third episode I can bet on that.” he flashed a toothy grin at her as he made his way to her TV and pressed play.

The familiar happy tune of the OP echoed around the dimly lit room as Levi hummed it in perfect sync, returning to perch at the very end of the bed. Em giggled at him and smiled. “I’m really looking forward to this now”

“Oh trust me it’s worth the timesink. I didn’t leave my room for weeks when I first watched it, Belphie had to practically drag me by the tail kicking and screa-” he stopped mid sentence and a feeling of yearning overcame him; he missed his youngest brother and with the recent drama he’d completely forgotten about him. He snapped his mouth shut quick before he rambled on.

“...Levi,i-it’s okay if you want to talk about him. I won’t tell anyone.” her face twisted into one of concern and familiarity, Em also knew what it was like to miss someone deeply.

“If I talk about him it’ll bring up memories of him and I’ll miss him even more. I’m used to this feeling, when Lilith left I bottled all my emotions up, and that’s when I started to shut myself in my room all the time. I never enjoyed the company of other people but she was different, like a little ball of happiness” he confessed. He hadn’t spoken about his dear sister before but he was drunk on emotion at the memories of her slowly penetrating through the mental prison he’d kept them in for so long.

“Lilith? Was she..?” Em stammered, she hadn’t heard about a sister before; she thought there were only seven siblings.

“She was our baby sister. She...died, a long time ago.” and with that sudden statement Levi snapped his head back to the TV, not tearing his eyes off the screen for a minute. Lilith was another thing Lucifer forbade the brothers to speak of, her tragic death had caused a rift in their relationship as Lucifer found himself emotionally lacking with his siblings and instead he poured all of his time and effort into helping Lord Diavolo. It was a strange, sudden bond that came out of the middle of nowhere shortly after their sisters death, and Levi always thought it was convenient.

“I...I also lost someone.” she whispered.

Levi’s neck nearly broke at the speed he turned his attention back to her, he hadn’t expected or wanted her to know the feeling of loss. She smiled sadly looking up at the ceiling. “He was a lot like you, you would’ve liked him.” The two of them shared a melancholic smile and watched the rest of the episode in silence. 

_Ems lost someone too, I didn’t know. It sounds like she was close with him though, maybe her brother? ….a boyfriend?_

The credits rolled on the screen and the two were back to an awkward tense atmosphere. Levi patted his jacket pocket, he still hadn’t produced her with the gift and now it was the totally wrong mood for it. Just as he was about to say something his phone buzzed. Em was still engrossed in the last few minutes of the show, so didn’t even flinch at the noise.

 _Oh shit it’s probably Mammon._ He shot his tangerine eyes down quickly, just to confirm.

**You have 4 new messages.**

Mammon: Yo, where the hell are you? ಠ╭╮ಠ

Mammon: I went to your room and there was no answer, are you asleep?

Mammon: Levi?? 

Mammon: Man, screw this. I’m goin’ to check on Em. (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻  
  


 _Mammon you’re so predictable...phew. Its okay, he’s just going to check on Em.  
  
_ He closed his eyes, then opened them wide as realization sunk in.  
  
 _WAIT. I’M WITH EM?! IN THE DARK? ON HER BED. Oh...he’s going to kill me._

 _“_ Em you might want to prepare yourself.”

“Huh?” she blushed, taking the words in an entirely wrong way. 

_“_ My idiot brother is on his way here, and I don’t think he’s going to take it lightly that I’m in your room with you, in the dark.”

“O-oh, you’re right...I never thought about it like that” she looked down and started playing with her hair.

_She doesn’t see me as a guy? I mean...I guess she wouldn’t be wrong, I’m an immortal demon but still._

“Y-you’re way too naive, me and my brothers, we’re all still guys y’know” he muttered, his face shifted to look at his feet.

Em glanced up at him and winced. “Sorry...to be honest I’m still getting my head around the whole demon thing”

“Just don’t forget that we’re guys, we may not be human but we still...have...those emotions.”his face flushed, what was he trying to insinuate here? “A-anyway I’d better get out of here before Mammon finds us. I had-... le--lets- “ he breathed in deeply, picturing the words in his mind. “Let’s do this again sometime, we can watch more One Thing together.” 

_There.. I said it. Why did that feel like I was asking someone on a date?_ Confidence and words didn’t come naturally to Levi at all, in fact he was a lot like Em in that sense; only he had been alive a lot longer than her so he knew how to deal with people...to a certain extent. It was one of the reasons he resented his silver haired brother so much, Mammon always said whatever he was thinking, even if it got him into trouble. 

Em was taken by surprise slightly, but quickly regained her composure “S-sure.”

Now Levi was the one to be shocked, he hadn’t expected her to agree so quickly to spending time with him in person again. “G-great. I’ll message you on the DDD when I’m done with my assignment.” 

“Okay, then I’ll see you later” she smiled warmly and accompanied him to the corridor, where they bid each-other goodbye. The door closed and Levi was left alone with his thoughts again, he pulled the keyring out of his pocket once more as he made his way back.  
  
"Levi! What're you doin' out here?! What's that in your hand?" Mammon had made it just in time to see his social recluse sibling leaving the human girls room; in his viewpoint the two of them looked a little too happy saying their goodbyes; and he'd gone into overprotective brother mode. "I swear if ya laid a finger on her I-"

_Shit._

Levi pocketed the keyring with insane reaction time and steered the conversation in another direction "Why in Devildom would I do something like that?! I keep telling you, I'm not interested in a human."

"I may look stupid but I can see very clearly" Mammon whispered in Levi's ear with a menacing glare. "Ya ought to get back to your room to your _precious_ Ruri-chan." 

_What's that supposed to mean?_ Levi ruffled his bangs in annoyance. "Fine, I'm going. I was leaving anyway." and he stormed off. 

Mammon glared after him, his brother really was impossibly oblivious when it came to anything but his otaku nature. The door swung open as he sighed. "Ah Em! Sorry we didn't mean to shout! Nope we weren't talking about anything important".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're starting to see traces of the feely feelies! *screams in shoujo*  
> I hope you guys liked this chapter, tbh it got away from me at one point and I wrote waaaaaaayyy more but cut it down. I just adore these two!
> 
> Btw Levi will eventually give her that keyring ...at some point. I wanted you all to feel the rage I felt when watching Sawako with the chocolates in Kimi ni Todoke ;)


	7. Lewd-viathan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Light fluff, Asmodeus and hormonal shenanigans, as we know Levi doesn't really get out much so I imagine he struggles a bit with...thoughts.

**You have 1 new message.**

Em: Leeeeeeeviiiiiiiiiii T-T

Leviathan: Emmmmmmmmmm?  
Em: LEVIIIIIIII ~

Leviathan: Emmm...Ok seriously this could go on all day LOL. What’s up?

Em: I failed my alchemy T-T I need to up my grade desperately… Do you know anyone who’s good at this sort of thing?

Em: I hate not being good at stuff >:( 

Leviathan: I happen to know someone who’s gotten top marks.

Em: O-oh really! WHO?

Leviathan: lolol me you idiot.

Em: omg seriously! You need to come to my room like right now!

Asmodeus has joined the chat.

Leviathan: Oh no…

Em: No?

Asmodeus: Well well well, what have I just walked into ~

Asmodeus: Hey Levi if you need any protection I’ve got loads in my room ~

Em: Why would he need protection? I’m not gonna hurt him :D

Leviathan:....Em. Please stop talking.

Asmodeus: Not unless he asked for it right, some guys are into that ~

Asmodeus: Though I think Levi is a total S ~

Leviathan: brb. Em I’ll text you later.

Leviathan has logged off.

Em: Oh..OK? Levi? :o

Asmodeus: hehehe I was just kidding guys, oh you’re so fun to tease! 

Asmodeus: Oh hang on Em someones at my door. From the noise he’s making I’m pretty sure I know who it is ~

Em: Take your time ^^;;

“ASMO YOU LITTLE PERVERT GET OUT HERE. **NOW**.” Levi banged on the door causing the frame to loosen slightly against the wall. 

“ My oh my I wonder who it could be ~ is it perhaps my older brother who’s come to pick a fight?” Asmodeus giggled playfully and cracked the door open slightly. 

“I’m going to crush you, annihilate you, tear you limb from limb” one yellow eye peered into the crack of the door, glaring at his brother's salmon coloured orbs. A clawed hand slid between the gap. “ **Get out here right now**!” 

“And that sounds like an amazing evening Levi but you’ve got to buy me a drink first!” Asmodeus grabbed the threatening hand and pecked the top of it, patting it closed. 

“Ew ew ew what do you think you’re doing!” the clawed hand recoiled.

“You should know better than to mess with me because I’ll just tease you twice as hard!” Asmodeus winked. “Is this because I told Em your dirty little secret?” 

“What secret? No, it’s not! You keep … I’m trying to... you’re so annoying GAH!” he clutched his head and ruffled his lavender bangs. “Whatever, you’re not even worth it. Just PLEASE can you stop saying that kind of stuff around her” 

“But you know I can’t help it….I’m the Avatar of Lust! I just get so excited when I see a cute couple, I have to turn it into an older rating~” Levi’s younger brother pulled his tongue out and winked through the door.

“C-couple?! Don’t be stupid, how many times do I have to tell you all, Ruri-chan is my-” 

“Your one and only. Yes, but that’s booooooooring! “ Asmodeus cut him off and rolled his eyes, then another smirk followed. “When you’re ready to be a man, you know where I am okay? ~”

“Well sorry for not being in this world to entertain you” Levi rolled his eyes. “Whatever, I’m heading back. Just please tone it down, at the very least whilst she's still recovering?”

“I can’t promise anything~” his younger brothers laugh echoed down the corridor and the door slammed as an evil grin slid onto his face.

Asmodeus: Em you still there? Levi’s just picked the protection up from me and is on his way to see you right now.

Asmodeus: Have fun ~~~ <3

Em: I’m here, is everything OK? you were gone awhile ^^

Em: :o a-ah thank you?

_Asmo I swear to the demon king I will end you._

Leviathan glanced down at his phone as he made his way back to his room, but after walking through a few familiar corridors he realized his feet had passed the sanctuary of his bedroom and were making their way in quick succession to a large stone staircase.

 _W-why did I come here?!_ “I must seriously be going nuts”. His eyes fixated on the battered oak door ahead of him and he sighed in defeat. _W-well I’m here now, there’d be no point in just leaving without saying hi._

He tapped the door with his fingernails hesitantly and waited. 

“Levi! …ah! Did you perhaps bring the protectio-” 

“SHHHHHH! IDIOT!” he clasped his hand over Ems mouth pushing them both inside her room, Lucifers room was just down the hall from here and he really didn’t want any misunderstandings with his oldest brother. Em furrowed her eyebrows and stared up at Levi who now had her backed against a wall covering her mouth. 

“Phew okay I don’t think anyone heard...that.” he pulled his hand away. “Ah! I’m sorry, I just didn’t want Lucifer to beat me up!” 

“...It’s alright. I-I just didn’t expect that” Em laughed nervously as she glanced upwards at him, had he always been this tall? She suddenly felt very clammy. “Ah so! About the studying, will..will you help me?”

Levi eyed her anxious posture, she was a flighty creature naturally but shoving her against a wall had obviously frightened the poor thing. “Oh! I...forgot to bring my notebook, to be honest I don’t actually know why I came here…. I just sort of...did.”

_Great, now she’s going to think I’m an idiot._

“Huh? Oh well that’s okay, I have notebooks from Solomon and Simeon but I don’t understand a few things” she grabbed a few tattered notebooks out from under her bed and sat down on the edge of the mattress.

Levi stepped forward and leaned over her shoulder, arching his back to see the books. “Oh really? I could take a look” 

“Oh! Sure!” she tilted her head back and bumped cheeks with him, immediately blushing from skin to skin contact but Levi was too engrossed with the work to really notice.

“Ah! Yeah so you actually want to use this sum instead, and then divide that by this, Solomon is smart sure but his writing is atrocious.” He smiled innocently at the scrawled handwriting next to Solomons notes that were marked with little hearts in the i’s.

 _She’s not the brightest student in the academy but it looks like she’s done her best to follow his calculations…. cute handwriting too._ Levi smirked and put a hand over his mouth to subdue a giggle.

 _“_ Wha-what’s so funny?” Em sat still, remembering her position, if she turned now she would graze his cheek again.

“Haha, it’s just...how old are you! You’ve dotted your writing with little hearts like a kid, it’s _kawaii Em-chan_ ” he forced the japanese out in a high voice to tease her. 

“I’m- I’m 18 of course! A-anyway are you going to help me or just tease me all day” she lightly tapped him with her bandaged arm.

_Eighteen huh? I’ve lost track of how old I am…I mean physically I’m probably the same age as her, maybe a little older. Though why does this age gap bother me so much, it’s obvious we’d have one?_

“Well I guess I don’t have a choice, but you owe me. Right, let’s fix this mess”. He finally realized he was in such close proximity to her as he inhaled her scent, it was a mix of honey and chocolate. He stood up rather quickly and walked over to her shelves, they were filled with console games, anime figures and merchandise much like his own room. He grabbed a small pencil case off the shelf and returned to sit with her, only this time creating much more of a distance between the two. 

They both studied together for quite some time and Levi sensed the air growing colder as night in Devildom was taking over. It was perpetual darkness in the Devildom but many residents had learned to sense how time worked, it got colder gradually as the “day” passed and if you were as old as Levi you’d learn to take note of how many degrees colder each hour felt. It wasn't a perfect method though and required a bit of focus, so they tended to just check the time naturally like a human would.

“It’s getting late y’know, we should probably stop before your tiny human brain implodes” he winked teasingly at her and pulled out his tongue. 

“Wait! How can you tell?”

“When you’ve been here as long as me you just sort of know how time works here. It’s around 5pm in human time; oh plus my DDD says dinner is in an hour.” he pulled out his DDD knowingly.

“O-oh, I may pass on dinner. I really need to get the hang of these calculations before the exam on Friday.” she nibbled the end of her pencil in concentration, her eyes burning with focus. 

“Ew don’t chew that, you don’t know where it’s been” Levi snatched the pencil off her and examined it, it was covered in little bite marks. “Em you’re gross. Do you always chew on things?” 

“S-sorry...I do it when I’m stressed”

“So...you’re always stressed?” He asked quizzically. "Well if you're chewing on things that means you're hungry. And unless I missed the memo that humans eat lead..you're coming down for dinner.."

She tore her eyes away from the paper and peered up at Levi, meeting his tangerine eyes once more. “I-I-um, yeah pretty much. My mind doesn’t know how to turn off, like ever. I don’t sleep much either because of worrying about things that I know would never happen but I can’t turn the thoughts off.. Sorry. I’m rambling, and I know it’s stupid isn’t it?”

“I don’t think it’s stupid at all actually. I..get the same way some nights. I don’t sleep much either, I may not be worrying about the same sort of things as you though, it’s mostly feeling inferior to my amazing brothers..sometimes darker thoughts like maybe everyone would be better off without me, I shouldn't have been born... Oh! Now I’m rambling aren’t I LOL” he smiled politely and blushed, he hadn’t meant to tell her about the dark thoughts he had, and he didn’t want to expand on that.

“...I have dark thoughts too...so..I get it. And I know..it doesn’t mean much coming from a human but, I wish you wouldn’t look down on yourself Levi; you’re not inferior to your brothers at all, you’re kind, funny, smart and-c

a-And you can play games. The others don’t seem to be interested in the same things as us.” she bit her lip, hoping he hadn’t noticed her change course in her sentence.

Levi’s eyes widened in shock; he had no witty comeback or snide remark this time, he’d never heard someone say such lovely things about him before, he felt flattered and..some other tingly sensation he couldn’t describe.

“I understand you more than you think Levi.” she sighed and stood up, looking towards the window. "Anyway y-you should get back to your room, I'm sure you don't want anyone teasing us for attending the feast together..." 

"I mean.. we're both going anyway, and you need an escort in your condition so they can say what they want." 

"Oh well i-in that case I'll get ready! umm do you mind waiting here I'll just go into the bathroom to change." 

"Uhh sure, do you mind if I play on one of your games?" his eyes followed the trail of various console games on her shelves.

"Sure! just please _please_ don't overwrite my save on Pyro! I JUST got to the last boss fight." she groaned pouting innocently at him whilst picking a few clothes out of her wardrobe.

He eyed her as she stretched her arm, wincing slightly in pain. "Oh hey Em wait! I'll get that." Levi unleashed his whip like tail and curled it around the clothes hangers. "Y-you shouldn't over do it." he effortlessly placed the clothes in the bathroom whilst his body stayed sitting on her bed.

"Oh...thank you..." She stood there stunned for a second at the kind gesture."I-I won't be long!" and with that she shut the door and a sound of running water could be heard. 

_I thought she was just changing out of clothes but she's getting a shower? oh man...she's..naked in the next room..  
  
_

The pent up demon felt his thoughts drifting somewhere else, he imagined her womanly curves and porcelain skin. Asmodeus had already commented on her figure many times; talking about her chest size and the proportion of her hips, and Levi had to appreciate that it wasn't a bad sight regardless of her species. _  
_

_I wonder what she looks like..right now_

_  
Wait! NO, NO! stop! Don't even think about it, just concentrate on the game._

In the end he settled on Bash Bandicoot and he had just made it past a boss when he heard a humming sound and the water stopped running in the next room.

_If this was an anime then she'd come out in a towel and wet hair and slip, I'd catch her and we'd have one of those awkward moments._

The door opened and Em thankfully came out fully dressed, wearing a pair of black skinny jeans and a generic red tshirt; around her neck she had an obsidian necklace and her raven black hair was tied in a loose ponytail. "Sorry I took forever, the water is a bit finicky here... oh! what level are you on!" she skipped over to Levi who had gotten a little too comfortable playing games, he was lying down with his head propped up on her pillows, his legs folded lazily whilst his jacket was folded neatly over her headboard.

"Oh you're ready!" he instantly paused the game. "y-you look nice... I'm just on the bridge level, Bash is so stupid the hitboxes are tiny so I keep slipping off this platform!" 

"Ohh yeah the remake is a bit finicky, want me to show you a trick?" without thinking Em got on the bed and lay next to him, grabbing the controller whilst he still had hold of it.

 _Woah woah woah! what is she doing? ah...her hands are so soft and small compared to mine, and they feel...warm._ He dropped the controller in shock, and let her snatch it, still frozen on the bed next to her; he dared not move incase she fell off and injured herself.

 _Or if I moved a certain way I could end up on top of h- STOP IT._ _You've got to calm down._

"Okay, so most people don't know this but if you time your jump right and line yourself up you can walk on the ropes, it's a little cheaty but hey it works!" she cheered triumphantly and offered him the controller back, leaning over him so her head rested on his torso and her arms were over his knees. His heart was pounding away in his chest at the closeness of her, he could feel the steam radiating out of her skin from the shower, and between the wandering thoughts and the lack of boundaries; Levi felt another sensation from within.

_Oh no,oh jeez, oh no._

_Not now..._

_Em you need to learn some personal space! I really hope she's not like this with Mammon or god forbid_ _Asmo_. Levi cleared his throat in an attempt to snap her out of her tunnel vision, desperately attempting to cool himself off.

"Ahem, we we should p-probably make our way downstairs now." 

"Huh? Oh you're right! you should save first though." she made him a save file under his name and lifted herself off his chest. Levi however remained on the bed, sitting up and lurching forward.

"...Y-you go ahead Em I'll catch up, I just need to uhmm.. ahhh.. text the others!" his voice was raspy like he was struggling for breath.

Em thought nothing of it and went on ahead walking down the corridor slowly, she just assumed Levi had gotten worked up from the game.

_Please for the love of all that is unholy do not come back. I....I need to calm down, it's fine. it's completely normal._

_It just hasn't happened in awhile that's all!_   
  
_Dead kittens, Asmo naked..Lucifers face....anything from the School Days anime.._

_Hey! that worked._

"Em, wait for me!" he grabbed his jacket and headphones and followed after her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter took so long! Life got in the way and updates might be a little sporadic, I'm still loving writing this though! :) hope everyone enjoyed the fluff and humor this chapter, next chapter will be a little angsty and will include the next pact, thanks for reading!


	8. Prove It

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A very eventful dinner conversation and the plot finally moves forward.

“Yo Levi, are you gonna eat that?” his red haired brother was practically drooling over the plate of cheeseburgers infront of him.

“Huh, oh no...you go ahead. I’m not really hungry” Levi passed the plate over whilst he was lost in thought. He still felt a little weird after his situation in Ems room.

“Suit yourself, mmmmf soo good!” Beel shovelled numerous burgers into his mouth until the plate was wiped clean. Everyone around the table just carried on as usual and tried to ignore the crumbs and mess the gluttonous brother made on a daily basis.

“So.. we couldn’t help but notice that you two came together, I know I was only joking about the protection earlier but did y-” Asmodeus was interrupted by a fork stabbing the table between his hands. Leviathan glared at him with murderous intent, however Lucifer had already perked up and he did not look happy.

“Protection? Please tell me you're not talking about what I think you are...Levi you do know that that sort of thing is taboo between human and demon.”

_Wait it's taboo? Really?_

_Why..why am I even humouring this thought!_

Lucifer folded his arms at the long pause, his brother still hadn't responded to that.

“What sort of thing are you talking about Lucifer?” Em stopped at the table, carrying a rather large portion of burgers and pizza. Levi had noticed she had an exceptional appetite and sometimes she’d give herself a stomach ache from over indulging; much like Beel. She wasn’t stick thin either, she was small framed but had quite wide hips; probably due to eating so much fatty food.

“Oh Em, I was just warning Levi about the rules of fornicating. I hope I don’t have to educate you on this manner either?”

“Fo-rn-icating" Em tilted her head in confusion, the word sounded familiar...and then realization struck. "OH YOU MEAN S-SEX RIGHT?” she blurted out a little too loudly. 

Levi spat out his drink across the table, choking on it, Beel also seemed to cough on his burgers a bit. Satan and Asmodeus chuckled behind their own glasses at the state of the two brothers. Mammon grabbed a bottle of wine and just started pouring it, looking very amused.

Even Lucifer had been caught off guard by that and raised his eyebrows in surprise.

“Yes. precisely Em, but please keep your voice down; we’re in a formal setting. So I’m just going to cut to the chase” he pointed at his purple haired brother who was still patting his chest. “You and Levi didn’t do anything like that right?” Levi looked horrified beyond recognition, whereas the other siblings all leaned in, enjoying the entertainment.

_W-WHAT WHY WOULD YOU ASK SOMETHING LIKE THAT!?!_

Em turned scarlet red and started to ramble Leviathan style “N-n-n-n-n-no why would I! I’ve never done anything like that, not even in the human realm. I mean sure I..think about that stuff ah! but not with any of you, I mean you’re all attracti-” Asmodeus put his finger on her lips.

 _Em you’re not making things any better! My brothers will pounce on you like a piece of meat, especially Asmodeus! Dear Demon King, someone change the conversation._ _  
  
_

“Tha-” Levi began to speak but was interrupted by his caramel haired brother.

“Luci you can’t just ask someone that sort of thing, especially our delicate little flower Em. And our Levi...do you really think someone like that would become a man, he’s way too caught up with his 2D girls to pay attention to any..assets in real life.” he gestured towards Ems chest, drawing around her curves in the air and grazing her lips with his thumb as she trembled. “She’s still innocent from what I can see.”

_Excuse me? I may be an Otaku but I'm still into women, damn it._

“....Yes you may be right there. I apologize; Leviathan I wasn’t thinking clearly, I should’ve known better than to suspect **you** of doing anything like that.”

_WHAT'S THAT SUPPOSED TO MEAN!?_

Satan slammed his hand down on the table, flicking his blonde locks casually. It had been fun for a short time but now they were going too far. “Do you really think this is the time for this sort of talk….any of you? Have some manners and some etiquette, we’re supposed to be eating food and bonding; not demonizing our brother and our guest.” 

_If I wasn’t so pissed off right now I’d laugh at the obvious pun._

“Yeah ya better all stop pickin’ on my Em! Of course she didn’t do anythin’ with Levi, look at him, I’m pretty sure he’s a virgin anyway.” the white haired brother spoke up, swishing his wine glass from side to side.

_You bastard..._

Levi clenched his fist and grit his teeth. That was a very private matter he didn't want Em knowing on the basis she'd look down on him and think he was pathetic. And upon hearing those words she couldn't help but turn her attention towards him with a curious and slightly shocked expression.

_What the hell is that supposed to mean, look at me? Look at you, you big stupid drunk!_

“Wait, is that really true? I could've sworn you had _something_ with that witch a few hundred years ago?” Satan pondered.

Beel shook his head and interjected. “No that was Mammon, I remember it clearly because she ate the leftovers from _my_ minifridge, and then she snuck back into his room. ” 

Mammon slurred his words and put an arm around Em, leaning into her a little too closely as she recoiled. “But someone like me would’ve taken the opportunity, you did admit you find us all attractive don’tcha” he winked.

_Get your hands off her before I rip your arms off._

_What does my sex life have ANYTHING to do with any of you!_

“Mammon step away from her, I think you’ve had too much to drink…” Lucifer rubbed his temple, sensing the dark purple aura starting to emanate from his otaku sibling.

“Awwh but c’mon it’s true! But she musta been jokin’ when she said she found _all_ of us attractive..I mean I love ya Levi but that haircut and the way ya harp on about your games and your anime couldn’t be less attractive in a person, whereas look at me I’ve got my dashing good looks, fashion sense and-”

“ **That’s enough Mammon**.” Lucifer grabbed his platinum haired drunkard of a brother by the neck and squeezed firmly. “If you say anymore I won’t hesitate to do some real damage”. He gripped tighter “understood?”

“Ya-ya understood.” Mammon's eyes filled with fear and he regained his sober state. Lucifer stood up, still holding Mammon by the scruff of his neck. “Come on, time to send you to bed **again.** You seriously need to learn to handle your drink.” he carted his brother off towards the door and the table remained silent.

“So uhhh guys….any of you want that last slice of pizza?” Beel reached hungrily for the remaining pizza slice in the middle of the table, everyone fidgeted awkwardly, Levi had folded his arms and planted his face in between them, his ears burned crimson. 

“Well I don’t know about you but I had so.much.fun. All that talk got me quite excited~” Asmo spoke up and faked a yawn. “Ahh but I think Satan and I had better head back to our rooms; hes got a….book...thing tomorrow. And I’ve got to get my beauty sleep~”

_That’s a load of crap._

“What are you talking abo-” Asmodeus shot a look at his blonde haired brother. “Oh. yes. A book thing, quite important actually?” Satan shook his head and bit his lip, he realized what was happening.

“And Beel, you left..umm...a box of donuts in my room!” Satan wasn’t the best liar.

_Satan...why would you even attempt to go along with Asmo’s crap?_

His red haired brother looked traumatized “Huh I did?! I actually LEFT food?? Wow I must be coming down with something, thanks for letting me know.” he looked over towards Levi who was still face planting the table, and then his eyes darted over to Em who stood staring intensely at the cutlery, wondering how many prongs a fork had. He seemed at war with himself, knowing deep down that he shouldn’t leave the two of them alone right now but on the other hand...leaving food unaccompanied… it was too much to bear.

“Sorry guys… I can’t leave that box of donuts unattended, I’ll see you both tomorrow!” he whispered whilst looking at Em with a sympathetic guilt ridden expression.

_I can’t see you guys but just know I’m wishing you’d all die in a fire right now._

Soon enough the only remaining members of the table were the sheepish human and the traumatized otaku demon.

He lifted his head slowly and whined. “Hah...they left us, I seriously can’t catch a break can I?”

“...Are you okay Levi?” The human girl asked concerned for him, feeling a little guilty that she hadn't been able to defend him.

“What do you mean am I okay, are you okay? Mammon had his dirty hands all over you, you know he didn’t mean it and he’s just drunk right? He’d screw anything that moved in that state..ah! Not that I’m saying you’re not..” he slammed his head on the table again. 

_Ugh, that sounded like I was insulting her._

Em giggled nervously and then moved closer to him. “I mean are you okay about what he said?”

“Ah yeah, I’m not really bothered, he’s not wrong though..” he turned his gaze away squinting as his brothers remarks played over and over in his head. 

_Even after the nice things she said earlier today...to hear it from my own brother; the one I looked up to the most..it hurts._

“Levi… you know that’s not true right.” There was no response, he had shrunk back into his arms.

Em bit her lip and thought about it for a moment, then slapped her cheeks with determination. She leant over to the hunched boy and grabbed his arms, pulling them away from his face. He yelped in surprise and looked at her in the eyes; his were glazed over like he was about to cry.

“Levi..l-look at me. Please. I meant what I said earlier in my room, you are a kind, thoughtful, wonderful man; yes you’re an otaku, but that doesn’t make you worthless. If anything I admire you for having such a wonderful passion in life. A-and just between you and me….” she leant closer and stroked his bangs away from his ear. “I think you’re the most attractive.” 

He snapped his head up and turned a familiar shade of red, piercing his gaze into her mossy eyes, trying to find a hint of deception; but alas there was none.

_I didn’t imagine that right now did I, did she just say I’m the most attractive? Out of them?...what. No she can’t mean it, she must have drank a bit of Mammons wine...yeah that’s it._

_“...._ Prove it.” he muttered.

“W-what?” It was Ems turn to be flustered now as she took Levi’s words in an entirely different way.

“Prove to me that you don’t think I’m worthless. Make a pact with me.” his eyes glistened in trepidation. 

“O-oh that’s what you meant. Okay then” she leant back over to Levi, sweeping his bangs out of his eyes and puckered her lips.

“W-w-what are you doing?….wait. How did you seal the pact?” he flinched, throwing his body upwards so he was sitting normally.

“With a kiss on the forehead... ? is- is that not right, it worked with your brother..”

“That son of a bitch…”

“Huh?”

_I’ve got two options here, I out my stupid brother for making a move on her or I let her kiss me and we seal the pact...but if I go through with it I run the risk of her finding out I lied… but then to get a kiss… from a living breathing woman._

“Sorry but my brother lied… you actually need to kiss me here” he pointed boldly at his cheek, the lips would have been a step too far; plus he was nowhere near as confident to try that. 

The raven haired girl looked a little surprised at that. “Oh! Really? Does that mean the pact didn’t work with Mammon? But I’m sure I summoned him correctly..”

“Ah really? Well I’m pretty sure it’s on the cheek but maybe it is the forehead?” he shrugged and tried to act innocent.

_I feel a little guilty about this… should I tell her?_

Em scratched her head, not sure what to believe. But she still wasn't used to this worlds laws and rules of magic.“I-I mean I want it to work this time so” she scooted over so she was sat on his lap, making him jump a little; but it was the best angle as he was a lot taller than her. She placed her hands on his face. The warmth from her hands and the scent of her intoxicated him, he felt his eyes fluttering as his instincts took over, he leaned in with his goals set on her cherry lips and then-

Em lightly pecked his forehead and then planted her lips on his cheek with even quicker speed. “...D-d-done, that should work right?” she leapt off him and started playing with her ponytail.

“I….Ah…..” Levi had momentarily stopped working.

_Was..was I leaning in for an actual kiss there?! Wtf?! What am I doing!_

He cleared his throat but his voice cracked like a preteen boy “ Yeah that wa- AHEM Yes. that was fine, that probably worked.” Unfortunately he felt that all familiar sensation in his lower region, having a girl sit on his lap hadn't helped him at all, he casually crossed his legs as he felt that rush inside him once more.

_Not again..._

_What the hell is wrong with me today?_

“G-g-good, you have to come when I call you okay? That’s the deal...anyway I’m starting to get a little sleepy; do you mind if I head back?”

“Not at all! Go ahead, it’ll be down in a sec- I MEAN I’ll be there in a second!” he clapped his hands and smiled innocently at her. She looked at him puzzled for a minute and then decided against pursuing the subject.

“W-well goodnight! Thanks for helping me study earlier, you’re gonna come when I need you again, right?”

“Ah..umm.. Sure, tomorro-”  
  


“NO, NOT TOMORROW.” an out of character yell erupted from her throat, she looked panicked and lost in thought about something. 

_Well...that helped scare my issue away. What was that though...what is she doing tomorrow that’s so important, she’s injured and she can’t attend classes._

Levi stared at her in shock, and a little afraid but managed to mutter out a reply. “...Oh. Well..umm just message me when you’re free then.”

“Mmhm, goodnight Levi.” she pushed her chair in and practically launched herself out of the dining area. 

_Well that was awfully rushed...is she alright?_

_D-did I freak her out?_

A green haired figure emerged from a nearby pillar and walked over to the hunched boy. “I’m going to pretend I didn’t see anything...for your sake.” he smirked and took the remaining dishes away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the awkward dinner scene and for traumatizing Levi repeatedly in this chapter, the brothers are just so fun to write and I love the banter between them all.


	9. Lone Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A nice bit of brotherly bonding with Beel and a nice dash of angst with Em.

The next morning was a strange one, everyone had logged in the chat to say good morning; all except one.

Leviathan: Hey Mammon, have you heard from Em today?

Mammon: Huh? Ah nah, she wanted to be left alone...she’s fine though I’m sure.

Asmodeus: Are you sure she just didn’t want to see you after you hit on her last night? You were very bold Mammon, well done bro~”

Mammon: Ugh that… I texted her a long ass apology and she just put a thumbs up. Other than that I aint heard from her today. But you probably should leave her alone @Leviathan.

_He knows something… well it’s true she did sound like she didn't want to be disturbed today.. I guess I’ll just continue my self study alone._

A few hours passed and Levi had finished his tasks for the day; as he stopped typing his stomach gurgled loudly. He had forgotten to eat breakfast again. Sighing, he pulled himself up from his dark blue gaming chair and stretched his back, cracking a few joints here and there. From the corner of his eye he caught sight of the dreaded keyring slumped on his top shelf and sighed. 

_I still haven’t given her the damned thing, ugh. The longer time passes the more awkward it is!_

_I know she doesn’t want to be disturbed today but this is really starting to piss me off._

Once again he grabbed the small package and pocketed it in his jacket, he decided he’d just knock on her door on his way to the kitchen and if she didn’t answer he’d leave it on her door handle.

_But what if Mammon finds it on her door and takes the credit?_

_Or what if she- WAIT.  
  
Why do I even care?_

_Ugh. my head hurts._

He strode down the corridor swishing his head from side to side; searching for any of his brothers. They should all be in class by now so the coast was clear, he soon approached the worn out oak door that now had a sign on it. “Emilias room” the “Milia” had been scribbled over childishly with black marker pen.

_She really doesn’t like to be referred to as Emilia huh?_

Placing an ear to the door out of curiosity he heard nothing, just the sound of his own breathing; it was possible she’d slipped out for a talk with Diavolo or visited the infirmary today to check her recovery progress. He was just about to lift the package out of his jacket pocket when.

“Leviathan, fancy seeing you here!” it was Diavolo, the demon prince wearing his usual red military jacket with a black shirt and white tie.

_More like prince of interruptions..._

_This guy has a stick up his ass about me that’s for sure._

Leviathan rolled his eyes and snapped his head around to greet his lordship. “Oh Lord Diavolo! Fancy seeing you here! I was just umm..”

_Is there even a good excuse to have your head against someones door like this?_

The Demon Prince tittered. “Hahah there’s no need to look like a thief caught in the act but..Em’s not to be disturbed today” the usual cheerful disposition had a sudden solemn tone to it and his eyes softened. “She requested that no one, not even I would impose on her, so I must kindly ask you to leave, I was just bringing her medicine.” he held a brown paper bag in his hand. 

That’s when genius struck. 

“Oh! You don’t mind if I put something in there do you? It’s nothing special just..uhhh some..cookies! Satan baked! Yeah that’s it.”

Diavolo couldn’t help but to chuckle heartily whilst raising an eyebrow “Oh! Is that so? I didn’t know he’d baked, you don’t have any cookies left over in there for me do you?” he pushed nosily. 

Levi stammered. “Ahh umm sorry they’re uhh- _what flavour does Diavolo hate again_ -they’re coconut!” The sudden look of disgust on Diavolo's face made him breath a sigh of relief.

“Ah...then no thank you" The red haired demon pouted. "I’ll have to berate Satan for baking snacks that I can’t partake in... but sure, just drop them in the bag!” Diavolo held the bag open and watched as Levi very carefully placed the parcel at the bottom, thankfully he’d written a note inside so Em didn’t think it was a gift from the demon prince. 

_I’m going through a lot of trouble for this damned keyring aren’t I…_

_Any other person would have just thrown it at her weeks ago, why do I have to suffer so much?_

“Right, then you’d better get back to whatever you were doing Leviathan! I’ll see you at our next meeting.” Levi nodded and bowed awkwardly, then made his way to the kitchen; from the corner of his eye he saw Diavolo gracefully tap the oak door with a sad smile as a pale bandaged arm accepted the bag from him. Unfortunately that was all Levi was concentrating on.

SMACK

“Oh! Levi! Sorry bro, are you okay?” It was Beelzebub.

 _Ah of course… why wouldn’t he be in the kitchen?_ _But first.. OW_. 

Levi shook his purple bangs as he saw little ruri-chans dancing around his head; his brother was built like a tank so he’d have to walk that one off. He opened his eyes after the vertigo had passed and saw a large hand gesturing towards him. 

“Ah, t-thank you. But you should really watch where you're going Beel!” his brother pulled him up effortlessly and dusted his jacket off. “Well I mean you weren’t paying attention either, but I’m sorry Levi; hey you can have ONE of my jellies and we’ll call it even?” he had to force the suggestion out, but Beel had always had a kind heart; he just ate way too much.

“...Deal. but only if I can have a blackcurrant flavour” Leviathan smirked, they were his favourite flavour but also Beels; he delighted in watching the anguish on Beels face as he pushed a purple jelly pot into Levis chest, a little too forcefully.

“Thannk youuuuu~” Leviathan winked playfully and was about to head back to his room but then Beel spoke. “Hey where are you off to in such a hurry? It’s been a while since we just hung out bro, don’t you want to join me for a bit or do you have one of your animé things to catch up on” the behemoth sized brother was surprisingly bashful as he squirmed with all of his jelly pots. 

_It HAS been a while since I last got to spend any time with Beel...oh...alright then. Luckily I recorded this weeks episode._

Beel looked down expectantly at his otaku brother, expecting a rejection, his face lit up like a christmas tree when Levi sighed and nodded. “Fine..but only for a bit.”

“Yay! Lets go to my room!” He grabbed Levi by the arm and dragged him the opposite way from his own haven, passing Ems room again in the process. Levi couldn’t help but turn his head back; there was no sign of movement and Diavolo had long gone. 

* * *

“Feel free to sit anywhere, EXCEPT Belphies bed, I want it looking nice for when he comes back…” the twins room was a perfect clash of their personalities; Beels side of the room was red, bright and bold; posters from various food brands hung on the wall above his bed, whereas his more mysterious and slothful twin Belphegor's side was relaxing, calm and mostly consisted of blues and purples; with pictures of clouds hanging above the bed. Levi eyed Belphies side longingly; it felt incomplete without his brother napping in a weird place whilst they all hung out. He tore his gaze away from the missing twins bed and looked at Beel.

The redhead had noticed Levi's longing expression.“You miss him too right..? It’s not just me?”

“Of course I miss him. We may not be related by blood; any of us but I feel like a part of me is missing too.” Leviathan mumbled; he didn’t like talking about his feelings so openly with people but Beel needed to know that he hadn’t abandoned the thought of the sloth twin so easily as his other brothers had. 

Beels expression softened and he ambushed Levi with a bear hug “Thank you Levi, I needed to hear that. It just.. It really pisses me off how easily everyone else seems to avoid talking about him; I know he wasn’t the easiest person to get along with and could be quite sadistic but I definitely feel the difference without him sleeping in that bed every night, our late night feasts and pranking Lucifer.. Ah sorry, I’m rambling aren’t I?” 

“It’s fine. I’m just sorry I haven’t been around recently; things have been..hectic.” the otaku stared down at the jelly pots wistfully. 

Beel couldn't help chuckle. “Recently? You mean the past damn knows however many years… you’ve changed so much Levi; I know you never really liked the outdoors but we miss you y’know, would it be totally unreasonable to invite you to see a movie or something sometime?”  
  
Levi snapped his head back up to meet his brothers hopeful eyes.“It wouldn’t be totally unreasonable...actually! I’ve got a movie night coming up with Solomon; I know you’re not into TSL but if..if you wanted to you could join us? We’ll have plenty of sna-”

The sentence didn't even need finishing. “I’M THERE.” Beel beamed, just the thought of buttery popcorn and candy excited him, of course he wanted to spend time with one of his brothers too but the man was never going to turn down free junk food.

“Great, ah it’s tomorrow night actually!... wait, you don’t have anything planned do you?” 

“Nope I’m as free as a bird! Is it just going to be me, you and Solomon?” the beefy sibling smiled at the prospect of getting some quality time with one of the brothers he very rarely got to see these days.

“Well..I was uhhh thinking of inviting Em actually; but I haven’t had the chance to ask”. Leviathan fiddled with his hands, it was true after everything had happened he still hadn’t asked and he’d JUST worked up the courage to give her the keyring.

_Oh jeez the keyring._

_Did she get it? Did she like it? Did she hate it…? I bet she hated it._

_“_ Levi?” Beel noticed his purple haired brother had gotten lost inside his own head; he did that a lot these days. He tapped Levi’s shoulder which seemed to break him out of his trance like state. “You okay there, bro?” 

“Ah! Sorry yeah.. Just thinking.”

“You think too much you know.. Anyway if you want to invite Em just ask! Hell I can ask for you!" Suddenly his eyes widened and he lifted his head slowly. "Ahhh! I bet you don’t want Asmo teasing you anymore right?” his brother was so much more positive than him, Levi felt that all too familiar shade of green, why couldn’t he be as bright and cheerful and as ripped as Beel?

Beel pulled out his DDD, it was red with a black stripe and had a hamburger keychain, very fitting for his personality. “There, I’ve asked her, but I noticed she’s not been online today; is she alright? I usually chat to her around lunchtime but she hasn’t been online since last night…” 

“Oh you talk to her often” he tried to hide the bitterness in his voice.

“Mmm? Yeah, we have regular chats about food reviewers we follow, recipes to try and how different human food tastes to ours; its great actually! For a human and a girl she could certainly give me a run for my money.” Beel laughed.

“Hah yeah.. I’ve seen the way she hoards candy, but how does she stay so slim?” 

“Oh! You didn’t know? She plays this game...Dance Now? Apparently its a great way to burn off the calories… maybe I should try it.” the thought amused Levi; he’d heard of the popular rhythm game and imagining his heavily framed brother tapping around his room knocking things off shelves and breaking lamps was far too amusing, he stifled a hearty laugh.

“LOL I’m sorry, but the thought of you on a fitness game… it’s too much hahahahah” he bent over laughing; it felt good to laugh like this, he felt like he was constantly on edge with his other brothers, and sure he was comfortable around Em but there was always a weird tension between the two so he couldn’t drop his guard completely.

“Hey! I’m not joking, I want to try it…” Beel pouted but flashed a smile, he also enjoyed seeing Leviathan smile for the first time in what felt like weeks. After eating their fill and Levi reluctantly passing over the last jelly pot to Beel he started to feel that social energy bar drain; he needed his alone time again. He had enjoyed his afternoon with his glutton sibling but now he needed to recharge with some good old anime and a snuggle with his waifu.

“You heading back soon? You get all quiet after a while, I’ve noticed. Did you not enjoy spending time with your little brother?” Beel pouted again flashing his amethyst pupils across the table. 

“Nah its not that I haven’t enjoyed talking I just.. I need to head back and be alone for a bit. I can't explain it but imagine a battery above my head like on your DDD? After spending a certain amount of time with people it just sort of...drains me.”

“Ah! So you’re the same as Em in that aspect. Say Levi; have you ever looked into that social anxiety thing? It sounds like you might have it”

“Ehh I’ve read here and there; but to be honest I don’t like to label things like that. I just need time away from people sometimes and prefer my own company; if that’s anxiety then you can call it that; i just call it being a lone wolf.” he smiled sadly at those words, a lone wolf could never feel home as part of a pack.

“A lone wolf huh? Well you’re always welcome in my den when you need a paw” Beel chuckled at the obvious puns as he heard Levi groan.

“Hah...thanks. Anyway I need to get going, I’ll message you about the movie night okay?” 

“Yep! Have fun being umm.. Have fun with your anime and your stuff. It was really good to see you” the redhead threw his arms around his recluse brother and squeezed him so tightly Levi felt his bones snap. 

“Ah...ow! Okay okay, I’m going! Seriously Beel you need to watch your strength” he sighed, snapping a few joints back into place.

* * *

Levi swung his bedroom door open and breathed a sigh of relief. 

_Alone again, at last!_

His demeanor completely changed and he felt refreshed, dancing to his PC humming the lyrics to a random kpop song. He decided he’d get some programming done on the game he’d been working on; it was a 2D platformer of a knight on his journey to rescue a princess and save the land from a terrifying fire demon called Lucifer. 

_Oh he’d kill me ten thousand times and over if he knew about this_. He smiled to himself and starting tapping away. 

A few hours had passed and he found himself stuck on a bug, the sprite for Lucifer kept disappearing offscreen and he was getting all sorts of error messages. “Gaaaah stupid bug! I will exterminate you...when I know how. HNG Wha-whats happening” Levi suddenly felt a weird tingling sensation over his body, his heart started beating faster and he felt himself lift off the ground; a familiar voice popped into his head.

“ _Levi…” Huh? Isn’t that Ems voice._

He opened his eyes and looked around the room, his PC was gone; there was no blue tint to the room. It had instead been replaced by dark shelves filled with manga and games and an oddly familiar wallpaper. 

_Wait isn’t this...am I in Ems room!? How did I get here?....oh she must have summoned me!_

He squinted in the darkness of the room, there were no lights on and he heard a muffled sob coming from her bed, she hadn’t noticed his presence yet.

“...Em? Are...are you okay? You summoned me”. He began to step forward towards the bed, she was under the covers holding the sheet over her face, fully clothed.

“w..WHA. *hic* Levi...oh no! I’m so-sorry I didn’t mean to summon you” she wiped her face on the purple sheets and tried her best to muster a smile, but her eyes were puffy and red. “I…”

“Em what’s happened? A-are you sick? Do you need me to fetch someone?” he eyed the brown paper bag on her dresser, it was still sealed. She didn’t seem ill, just...sad; and the sight of her like this made his chest feel tight.

“I’m...I’m fine. I.. will be fine. I really didn’t mean to summon you so..can you please leave” she had an unusually cold tone today and she snapped when she spoke, it scared Levi to see her like this; so different from the Em everyone was getting to know.

_But maybe this is her with her guard down...maybe she’s really like this?_

“O-oh well, if..if that’s what you want”

She sighed apologetically looking deep into Levis eyes, her expression was cold and stoic but her eyes deceived her, they were pleading for company. Levi sighed, he didn’t know how to handle something like this; instead of obeying her obvious reluctant demands he approached her and sat on the bed next to her. 

_She can kick and scream and hate me if she wants but I’m not leaving her in this state_... _and even if it is cringy..._  
  
Levi said nothing but took his jacket off and placed it over her shoulders, looking away he pulled the jacket along with her towards him so she landed against his chest.

“W-what are you doing? I..said I didn’t want you..here” the tears started to form again and her voice was wavering. 

“If..if you need to cry I’d rather you have a shoulder to do it on; crying alone sucks. I would know..." Levi chuckled morbidly. "You don’t have to tell me why and I won’t question anything until you’re ready to talk about it but… I’m..I’m here if you need me.” he stroked her back, blushing in the pitch blackness of the room, just about able to make out her expression with the glow of his eyes.

“I...thank-” she nuzzled into his chest and started sobbing hysterically but quietly. Levi tried not to recoil; whatever had gotten her into this state it was bad, but she just needed someone with her there right now and if being silent helped then he would just let her vent it out. After quite some time her cries devolved to strangled groans and hiccups and she seemed to calm down. 

The silence was deafening, Levi shifted his eyes down at her; she had cried herself to sleep on him, she had dark circles under her eyes again like she hadn't slept a wink; her eyelashes were damp from the tears, cheeks stained and a rosy pink shade had painted itself across her cheeks. He frowned, he really wanted to know what was wrong with her but if his manga had taught him anything it was that girls tended to open up about things by themselves if they trusted you enough. An hour or so passed and Em shot up, startling Levi in the process as he had also started to drift off to sleep.

“Ah Levi! you’re ..still here, ugh...I’m..sorry you had to see me like this, today is not a good day for me..”

“Hey, it’s okay. Are you..feeling better?” he didn’t want to push her, it was just a simple question.

“I wouldn’t say better” she laughed sarcastically and sighed “I think it’s time I told you….” she stood up and slumped over to her wardrobe, pulling out a photo frame.

Levi looked over worried. _Where is she going, what does she have to tell me?_

“This is Nate.. and today is the anniversary of his death..” she turned the photo around to reveal a handsome looking younger boy with chocolate brown hair not much different than Levi’s and piercing blue eyes, he was standing next to a much more cheerful and younger looking version of Em who had her raven black hair cut short and they both held anime figurines outside of what looked like a convention judging from the banners and cosplayers in the background.

_Ah._


	10. Stay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Em reveals a bit about what she thinks of the brothers and we get a lot of angst and fluff.

“Back in the human realm as you know, I had a friend. His name was Nate and he was a lot like you. He had brothers too and was quite the gamer and he was an amazing artist, I’d known him since we were very young. But he was always putting himself down and felt like the world would have been better without him in it.” 

“He didn’t look after his health and he stayed indoors a lot and….one day whilst I was visiting him...he collapsed. He got sick, very sick and he...he died before he was able to show the world his talent and before I could…. ” her breath hitched in her throat as she felt her voice cracking, she clenched her eyes shut as tears rose to the surface.

Levi said nothing but listened intently.

“A-after he died I felt like I was alone in the world, I didn’t want to know anyone or get close to another person in case they left me like he did. I felt like I was falling into a void. And then my thoughts began to grow darker and I found myself wishing I could join him in eternal happiness… I began to distance myself from family and friends.. And before I knew it I forgot how to really talk to people. A few days before I-...I ended up in the Devildom; though my memory is a little fuzzy on how I actually came to be here….weird.” she took a deep breath and sat back down on the bed, hunching over and leaning against Levi’s shoulder. It took some time for him to digest the information and then he finally spoke.

“...Em… I’m so sorry” Levi was crestfallen and didn't notice her awkward pause. “I- I didn’t know.”

“It’s okay.. How would you? The only one who knows is Mammon, and he swore he wouldn’t speak of it with anyone.. Oh and Diavolo knows too; but I don’t remember telling him. Do demons have psychic powers?”

_..she told Mammon..of all demons? Wow she must really trust him._

_“_ Ummm not that I know of, but its possible? He _is_ the demon prince after all but..Em; I really am so sorry you went through all of that.”

“No..I’m the one who’s sorry… Levi. this is hard for me to say but I’ve been comparing you with him all this time I just..I miss him so much and you two are so similar; the first time I saw you I was drawn to you because you remind me so much of him; the way you’re reserved but outspoken, your passion for animé and games… you even look a little like him.” she smiled sadly, staring at Leviathan's otherworldly eyes. “...Maybe you don’t look like him but sometimes when I see you I see him instead...I..I know that’s not healthy but I can’t help it.” Em scratched her arm nervously. "I thought..maybe it would be better to distance myself from you, that maybe it would help but all it did was hurt you..."

_That makes sense...thank you for apologizing._

Before he could respond Em spoke up again “I’m sorry I’ve kept you here way too long... you can head back now, I’ll just...I’ll be fine by tomorrow; I just needed to let it all go today.” and she beckoned him towards the door but clenched his t-shirt tighter.

“I understand. but.. I don’t want to leave you alone, at least not like this” he awkwardly embraced her, resting his chin on his head and clutched her tightly. “I’ll stay here as long as you need. I can’t imagine how hard it’s been for you....I’m not him but..I want to know more about you, Em. For the first time in my life I actually have an interest in getting to know someone other than my brothers...how did that happen?” 

_How DID that happen?_

Em was taken aback a little by Levi’s statement, but she held his arm and reciprocated the warm embrace “You..you want to know more about me..Really? I’m...not the bright cheery girl in this photo anymore; she died when Nate did. The girl you talk to on the DDD is pretty much all that's left of her. But...I’ll try, I really do enjoy it here with everyone, and I really enjoy your company.” 

He felt a small thump in his chest. “You’re about the only one that does hah...uhhh this may not be the best time to ask but do you want me to grab something from the kitchen for you? You need to eat...and I’m well..I’m famished.” and dropped the hug holding his stomach sheepishly, almost like his gluttonous brother.

“Oh....I’m not really hungry, you can grab something...but..this might be selfish to ask...can you come back? I guess I really don’t want to be alone right now” she tucked her hair behind her ear. 

“I’ll be as quick as hum- demonly? possible. You’ve got me for the rest of the night” he switched his DDD off, planting it on her dresser and stormed out of the room sharpish.

* * *

Ems POV.

I laughed as he marched out of my room, Levi always knew how to make me smile. My head was killing me from crying so much that I began to feel dizzy but then I remembered the medicine Diavolo had left, maybe he’d given me some paracetomol? 

Grabbing the brown bag he’d delivered earlier I sat back down on my bed with Levi’s jacket still draped over my shoulders. Maybe it was the thought of Nate being so similar or maybe I was just curious...but I inhaled the scent; it was hard to describe. Salty...like the ocean, but sweet like cotton candy. It suited him well. My heart suddenly felt like it was banging against my ribcage, it must have been fueled by the memories of Nate.  
  
...Levi really is a great guy, I just wish he’d realize that. His brothers were all great guys and sweet in their own way...except Lucifer I hadn’t really gotten the chance to talk to him much; he was strict and seemed to have it in for me after that night he saw me trying to sneak into the attic.

Mammon on the other hand was becoming a problem... its obvious he has feelings towards me but; I just don't see him in that sort of way. He's a lovely guy but my heart hasn't healed yet; plus I think I see him as an older brother. I'm just scared that if push comes to shove and I have to tell him my honest feelings that I'll lose my relationship with all of the brothers.

Asmodeus is harmless I think...deep down he's actually a sweetheart but he just loves to tease and flatter; it's part of who he is and I've come to accept that. We actually talked a lot through private messages about him wanting to form a band, the best skincare techniques and he offered me life and..love advice anytime I needed it...apparently after the whole Levi bringing protection thing he got worried for my innocence. Ugh I didn't think they NEEDED protection so of course I didn't click on to the fact they were talking about...condoms. But Levi did warn me didn't he, that demons still had those sort of urges...I still can't believe I embarrassed him like that though, and I can't help but question the way we formed our pact.

Satan is pretty awesome too, I had no idea he was a bookworm who loved cats; he seems really uptight around his brothers but alone it's like a whole new side to him, and I guess I can relate to that? I'm completely different inside my head and on my own than I am in public...I just seem to have forgotten how to be myself. Truth be told I was terrified when I first came to this place, it really set my anxiety off bad, but they've all clawed their way into my heart so now I feel like I can let the real me out a little bit.

I get on great with Beel too! We'd constantly message eachother when we heard about new food products, recipes we wanted to try out when we had free time and he seemed to be really intrigued about my dance routine. He was a great laugh and I think, one of the easiest going brothers.

I actually lied yesterday...when I said I hadn't thought of them in _that way._ I am pretty much an adult now so of course my thoughts drift off to that place. And what I told Levi was the truth; out of all of them I really do think he's my type; but is that because he reminds me so much of Nate? I just can't help getting lost in those amazing yellow and blue eyes everytime I see him.

And then there was something else I needed to keep close to my chest, the stranger who was locked in the attic... I didn’t know his name but he said he was a human like me and being held against his own will, he had navy blue hair with white tips so he must’ve dyed it before he came to this realm. He seemed like a nice guy but my trust issues warned me something was off about this guy. He wanted me to form pacts with everyone and break the seal on that room... I rejected it of course and ran back to my room but here I am..two brothers down. I really didn’t want to use them like this, it just sort of happened...I might go back and see him again...I don't know.

Levi will be back soon..

I made my way over to the light switch and flicked it on, now I could actually see my room...it was a mess. I hope Levi didn’t think less of me for being a slob. It was at that moment I realized I’d never seen the inside of his room, I wonder what games he had...what manga and anime blessed his shelves, where he slept, was he as ripped as Beel under that jacket?...ah n-not that I wanted to know. 

Shaking away the inappropriate thoughts and ripping the seal off the bag, I reached in for the medicine, but something soft bumped my knuckle. It was a small package wrapped with newspaper, I tore it open I mean, it must have been intended for me right? Maybe Diavolo had gotten me something from the human realm.

A small note fell out and landed on my lap, the package had one more layer to it so they must have wanted me to read the note before opening it fully.

_Em,_

_I’ve been intending to give this to you for a while now but could never find the right moment. All my brothers gave you welcome gifts when you first got here and I...well, we didn’t get off to the greatest start did we?_ _  
__  
__Please take care of him._

_Levi_

Him? a present from Levi? I smiled, chuckling to myself. His note was so ridiculously formal. I folded the note and slipped it into my box of memories; I had a thing about sentimental stuff; silly I know. My heart raced with excitement at the thought of a gift from someone, I tore it open without much force and was greeted with the most adorable little dragon keyring, it was a Burnewt! My all time favourite Mokepon starter; he was ridiculously overrated but he had always held a special place in my heart since the day Nate let me borrow his copy of the first game.

Nate was always giving me games to play, I’d visit him after school every evening and we’d discuss easter eggs, cutscenes and all our likes and dislikes about the plot. My heart ached thinking about him again...I loved him so much...and I never got to tell him.

Hey...I wonder if demons are...reincarnations of humans. No..that’s probably impossible, they haven’t outright stated it but I’ve pieced together bits here and there and the brothers must be thousands of years old; but wouldn’t it be nice if I got to meet Nates reincarnated form?

I twirled the burnewt in my hand, watching it turn endlessly as I got lost in my thoughts; that’s when I heard a startled shriek.

* * *

“E-em! Oh....jeez you opened it huh...do you not like it..I can return it or keep it if you want?”

_Oh no I completely forgot about that keyring! Of all the times to open it she had to do it when I was coming back here? ....ugh. Well...it’s out of the way now._

Her eyes lit up at the sight of him and joyful tears surfaced. “I- I love it. Seriously thank you so much Levi...” she leapt towards Levi excitedly and bowed graciously.

_Wait she likes it..seriously?! Phew!_

“H-hey there’s no need to be so formal haha” Levi closed the door with his foot and offered Em a bag of chips. “I know you said you weren’t hungry...but when I feel like crap I want to eat crap so..here”

“T-thank you!” she accepted the bag of chips and sat back down on her bed, turning her lamp on as she gorged herself on the snacks. Levi chuckled; he certainly saw similarities between her and Beel sometimes, his eyes shifted quickly to her shelves and ah there it was..Dance Now! She seemed to have quite the collection, 1,2,3,4,5 and then they were labelled by year...huh the most recent was 2020. Was it the year 2020 in the human realm? He shrugged it off but noticed Em staring at him.

“...what..? Is there something on my face?” 

She grinned “No...it's not that I... I noticed you looking at my games, anything catch your eye?” 

“Ah! Sorry, to be honest....Beel told me you liked this game a lot” he grabbed the latest edition of Dance Now! and held it up for her to see.

“Oh! Yes hahaha, I’m guessing you talked about my appetite...yeah I eat like a pig sometimes...I eat my feelings a lot actually, but a few months ago I noticed I was starting to gain weight...you would have been shocked if you’d seen me....anyway I bought all those games and danced my socks off and well.. Here I am” 

“Eating your feelings huh.. To be honest I don’t really eat much, I’ve never had an appetite, one or two meals a day and a light snack and I’m good.” He picked at the pasta he’d made himself, twirling the fork with his fingers.

“I...noticed. Nate didn’t eat much either...” she bit her lip, cursing herself for pointing another similarity out. 

_Of course he didn’t...she really thinks we’re the same person doesn’t she._ He felt awful and selfish about this but he was jealous of the way Em spoke about Nate, it was almost like she was in love with him or something. But just like when she spoke about his other brothers...it bothered Levi.

_She said he was a friend but...was it possible Nate was her boyfriend? I mean I can’t exactly ask her outright but.._

“Hey Em, tell me more..about Nate. What sort of relationship did you two have? I mean...only tell me if you want, I’m just...curious..about the similarities I mean.”

“...Well... .I’ve already told you he was a bit of a shut in.. he was really into anime, manga and drew a lot of it himself, he also had a top tier waifu” she giggled absently whilst recalling the memories “ oh.. When I first met him he came off quite cold but as I got to know him he was actually really sweet and kind..so you’re a lot like him in that aspect” she cleared her throat and blushed. “...he was actually my first kiss, and we made a vow when we were six that we’d marry when we got older...silly kid stuff right? But..I.. did love him.”

He raised his eyebrows slightly. “Your first kiss? So did you two date or...ah! Sorry that’s rude of me…”

“Oh don’t worry about it...no we never dated, Nate died when he was 15...today is the 3rd anniversary of his passing.” 

“Ah..I’m sorry to hear that” He winced, feeling a little guilty for bringing the subject back up.

“Don’t be sorry… it’s not your fault. He had a really bad immune system and just sort of...gave up. He developed a chest infection and it got w-worse and...yeah” hot tears started to prick her eyes again. “Ugh I’m done crying, I feel like I can’t breathe…” 

“Are you sure you're okay? Do you want me to get a drink? Wait...i-is it a panic attack?” Levi ushered her to the bathroom panicking himself.   
  
Em laughed sheepishly “Sorry no, I’m fine, I’ve not had a panic attack in awhile…I just think I’m done talking about him now, if thats ok…”

“S-sure, sorry for being so nosey” Levi bit his lip, cursing himself for causing her to cry again.

_I should probably check my phone...I’ve been here most of the evening and it’s getting really late, but I don’t think I should leave her...should I ask her if..no, no you can’t ask something like that what if the others found out._

“L-levi?...I know what you’re thinking, it is pretty late; my DDD says it’s 10pm..but, can you...will you...can you stay here with me tonight? Ah! I’ll sleep on the floor and you can have my bed.” she fidgeted and played with a loose strand of hair, hoping he’d say yes but also that he’d say no. She felt vulnerable as it was with him seeing her completely emotionally naked today.

“I..umm..ahh..ah.. Are you sure that’s okay? I refuse the bed though; this is _your_ room and I’m the guest so I’ll take the floor.” 

“I-i-its fine!” she flailed her arms in a panic,she hadn’t thought he would be so willing to accept the offer. Inside his head Levi was in full meltdown mode.

_I’m staying overnight..in a girls room, with a girl..a human..no a real girl?! I’m sleeping on the floor sure...but oh good lord, I don’t know about this. I just have to stay calm and not do anything inappropriate, she needs a friend right now so I need to get my head out of the gutter. Please please.. let mini leviathan behave today, just that’s all I’m asking...father._

_Oh no I forgot to feed Henry! Oh...well he should be okay, as long as I feed him first thing tomorrow._ _What day is it? Thursday.. No...Friday! Oh crap it's the movie night tomorrow._ He felt a sudden tug on his arm, bringing him back to reality.

“Want to watch some more of that show...I need something upbeat right now, and I-if you’re going to be here all night then I don’t want you to be bored.” she grabbed the tv remote expectantly; her huge eyes still puffy from all the crying.

“Oh..sorry! Ahh yes, we can; do you have a blanket I could borrow? I’ll just use my jacket as a pillow but I feel the cold pretty easily; it’s a downside to being a water demon.” he laughed nervously as Em stood up and searched her dresser, pulling a giant purple blanket out and placing it around herself. 

“... Just whilst we watch the show; I’m pretty cold myself and you’re really warm.” she beckoned him to her side holding the blanket up in the air; wincing slightly as her wrist bashed the wall behind her.  
  


He hesitated, but in the end she won him over, she was still upset after all so she didn’t mean anything inappropriate by it. Levi reluctantly kicked his trainers off and huddled under the blanket with her as they both kept their eyes on the tv screen.

_It’s just until we’re done watching, then I’ll slip away and go sleep on the floor..._

It didn’t take long however, they both dozed off after just a few episodes, likely due to the emotionally exhausting day between them. Ems head rested on Leviathan's shoulder, her long raven hair flowed and tangled itself around his arm like a boa constrictor. His own bangs flumped against her forehead and his hand had somehow grasped hers during the night.

A peaceful smile traced both of their lips.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I said I'd be uploading sporadically last night...I lied! I'm addicted to writing this and it was more entertaining than sleeping apparently!  
> I hope Em is realistic, she is my first ever original character and I didn't want her to be a one trick pony; she is a very complex girl with a lot of sides to her and I feel a bit like shrek saying this but she has a lot of layers.
> 
> Also I've been playing Mystic Messenger again and I'm wondering if you can tell who I'm vibing with when I write about Nate. :')


	11. The Morning After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fluff, fluff and more fluff.

**You have unread messages.**

The Demon Brothers (6)

Satan: Don’t you think it’s strange Leviathan hasn’t been online at all this evening?

Asmodeus:...and Em..oooooh you don’t think~ ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)  
  


Beezlebub: Nah I doubt it, Levi hung out with me this afternoon and headed back to his room to be alone so he’s probably just gotten caught up on a game or fallen asleep; weird that he didn’t turn up for the feast though.

Lucifer: I did see Leviathan earlier today in the kitchen. 

Beezlebub: Yeah he bumped into me and that’s when we both headed back to my room to chill for a bit. Don’t worry guys I’m sure he’s fine. It’s Em I’m worried about…

Lucifer: I’m under strict orders from Diavolo to give her time to herself today but I could go check up on her if you all wish.

Mammon: I wouldn’t.

Asmodeus: If Diavolo ordered it I think it’s best to leave her be too, I do miss her though ~

Satan: Agreed. I’ll drop her a message tomorrow about that new book she borrowed from my study.

Mammon: Oi give her a little space, ‘sides she’s got plans with me tomorrow afternoon; I’m taking her to Majolish. ⚆ _ ⚆

Asmodeus: Oooh what kind of book?~

Satan: A tragic love story… I didn’t think she was the sentimental type but it seems she is a proper lady after all.

Asmodeus: Oh..well that’s boring, she hasn’t borrowed anything more...erotic~? Enjoy your date Mammon~

Lucifer: Why in Devildom would she read things like that Asmodeus?

Asmodeus: Well...you guys heard her last night at dinner, she said she thought of things like that and that we were all attractive, oh who knew Em was so lonely~ I could keep her company if she just asked ;)

Levi stirred in his sleep, his eyes flickering rapidly and the grip on Ems hand had tightened subconsciously.

 _“I’m so happy to have met you all, but I think I’ve made my decision….Mammon it was you from the start”_ _  
_

_Huh?_ _  
_

_“You’ve all helped me grow during my time here but...Lucifer you’re the one for me!”_

_What?_

_“Beel and Asmodeus...I want us to be a throuple”_ _  
__WTF?_

_“Satan...let’s get married and have cat babies.”_

_Well this is just gettin-_

_“Diavolo, Lucifer, Mammon, Satan, Asmodeus, Beelzlebub, Simeon, Luke, Barbatos, Solomon...Belphie oh and of course you Lilith, let’s all go back to the human realm and start a family”_

_That’s one big ass family…_

_“Hey Em...what about me?”_

_“Hmm oh of course I can’t forget you, you’ll be my husband_ **_Nate_ ** _.”_

_N-nate? Leviathan looked at his reflection in the mirror, he now had shorter bangs and brown hair and his eyes were a piercing blue colour._

_No Em..I’m not him!”  
  
Em laughed as she grabbed hold of his hand and dragged him into _ _a vortex. “Now we can fulfil that promise we made as kids.”_

_Noooooooooooooooo!_

"Nnnnnnnghh!"His snake-like eyes shot open and he thrust himself back into consciousness. His head snapped around and caught sight of his reflection in Ems TV.

 _Phew...still purple..still a demon. What the hell kind of dream was that?_ He went to reach for his DDD but realized there was something attached to his arm, it was warm and soft, slowly turning his gaze towards the source he gasped. Em was fast asleep nuzzled into his chest again, she was breathing slowly and had her lips pursed slightly. He smiled down at her fondly and wriggled his arm loose, straining himself to grab his DDD from the dresser.

 _I hope you had a better dream than me, seriously what the hell was that?_ _Well it looks like we fell asleep so it should only be around…._ All colour drained from his face, it was morning; well in human terms the clock read 6am, it took his brain a little time to connect the dots together in his groggy state.

_WAIT THAT MEANS I SLEPT WITH A GIRL. IN THE SAME BED. ALL NIGHT. Oh...oh no. I’m soooooo dead, I’d better check my messages; although I really don’t want to._

He sighed and opened the messaging app and was bombarded with a flood of messages. Messages from Solomon, Diavolo, Mammon and then quite a few unread messages in the chat he and his brothers shared, his finger scrolled rapidly as he scanned the words; his absence was the topic of the evening and he didn’t blame them.

 _Damnnit I should have at least logged on last night to make something up. I’d better get out of here.._ He looked back down at the sleeping woman and bit his lip, how was he going to wake her; it was still ridiculously early in the morning, Could he really just abandon her like this? 

_No...it wouldn’t be right._

Leviathan has joined the chat.

Mammon: DUDE WHERE THE HELL HAVE YOU BEEN?!

Asmodeus:....ugh you’re all up early this morning, Levi did you pull another all nighter or…

Asmodeus: are you with Em ~

Lucifer: **Good morning, sleeping beauty.** Where have you been hiding?

Leviathan: Ah sorry about yesterday guys, after me and Beel hung out I fell asleep and then stayed up marathoning FullMetal Wizard; it's 64 episodes long so….

Mammon: Awww yeah that makes more sense ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Asmodeus: Levi you’re so boring ~ But seriously has anyone heard from Em yet? 

Lucifer: I’ve not heard anything, infact I may go check on her after I’ve gotten dressed and fed Cerberus. 

Leviathan: Sounds like a plan, I’m gonna go take a nap.

That message sent Levi into a state of panic, if his older brother came knocking to check on Em right now it would look bad..for both of them. He chewed on his lip; thinking of a solution for this awkward situation. He refused to just up and abandon her but something had to be done before they were found together. 

Of course it wouldn’t be the end of the world, and he knew that but he just couldn’t take his brothers looking down on him even more than they seemingly already did. 

_I have to wake her up…_ He sighed in defeat and shook her gently, not realizing that he was stroking her hand with his thumb. She yawned and fluttered her eyes open; it took a moment for her vision to focus as Leviathan smiled down at her with a light blush spread across his cheeks.

“M-morning, umm..” _is she even aware we slept together? …..Don’t word it like that idiot, you're not helping yourself._ _“_ I’m really sorry for waking you but… Lucifers on his way, and I..well I didn’t want to just take off…” he trailed off, unable to complete his sentence. 

_Just tell me to go if that’s what you want…_ he grimaced mentally, the memories of that horrible nightmare resurfacing.

 _“_ O-oh.. G-good morning! I..ahh.. I’m so sorry I fell asleep on you!” she yawned once more, still blinking her eyes wearily, she thought about it for a moment and then mumbled something that Levi could barely hear “..I had a really nice dream”.

“Eh? Sorry what did you say?” he leaned down and tilted his head, causing his bangs to slap him in the eyes. 

“N-N-nothing!...but... about Lucifer..I’ll handle it.” she looked for inspiration around the room and then an idea struck. “It’s movie night tonight right? We could say that you came here early to help prepare?” 

“That’s...well that would be a good excuse but, the movie night is actually going to be in my room because I have the biggest tv screen...and Em...it’s 6am.”

“...ah” she giggled nervously. “You should probably sneak out whilst you have the chance then. I’m atleast thankful that you woke me up to see you off though.” she felt a tiny twinge in her chest at the thought of him leaving.

“Y-yeah you’re probably right” Levi couldn’t hide his disappointment. “I’ll grab my stuff and see you tonight then? _”_ instantly perking up thinking about the TSL movie night; he had a lot to do today when he got the chance to think about it, he had to run to the store to buy snacks for everyone, clean his room, work some more on that game… maybe get a few hours of Runequest in. His day was packed full of tasks. 

He slipped his trainers on and threw his jacket over him. He’d be sure to shower as soon as he headed back too, that nightmare had caused him to sweat a little during the night. Just as he was about to leave he halted.

_Wait. how can I leave without Lucifer spotting me?!_

In the end the two had to work together, Em jumped onto the chatroom and told them she was fine and apologized for the absence, answering any rational questions and shaking off any about the potential adultery from Asmodeus, who was more than disappointed by the lack of a scandal. Whilst Em spoke to the brothers Levi snuck out, after a somewhat awkward embrace from her. 

Back in the safety of his room he ran over to his favourite pet “Henry! Oh I’m so sorry I didn’t come home last night, are you okay? You look hungry buddy!” he grabbed the fish food and poured a generous portion into the tank, then slid into his bedtub and sighed, staring at his Ruri chan pillow. _I haven’t been needing to hug you as often lately...I guess I’ve just been busy._

It had been an exhausting time with Em but he was grateful for the time they’d spent together. A smile formed on his face as he recounted the events of last night but then doubt crept in once more.

 _She hadn’t meant to summon me...what if she was really trying to summon Mammon instead?_

The image of his brother holding her, caressing her and spending the night with her made his heart ache. Bile seeped into his throat as he clenched his fists. He was used to feeling envy but this..this was a much stronger form of jealousy than he was used to. He ruffled his bangs a little too aggressively and decided a shower would help straighten his thoughts out; he just couldn’t get rid of this nagging feeling it was more than his usual envy, something he couldn’t quite name.

Steam filled the room as the water jetted out of the showerhead at an almost scalding temperature. Levi stripped out of his clothes revealing his ivory skin as he stepped into the shower, letting himself get lost in the feeling as the water panged against his shoulder blades like a thousand tiny bullets. He massaged his hair as it fell against his face, covering his sight as he sighed, he truly was in his element in water since he’d fell from grace. 

Levi imagined himself in a dark green abyss, swimming peacefully surrounded by many fish of all different species, kois and goldfish. A blanket of kelp danced across the sand below. He could practically smell the salty sea air as he swayed his head under the falling water, he was swimming upwards towards the surface in his mind, the sun was cracking through the tide like a glassy mosaic; mosaic...images of a certain raven haired human flashed in his mind, her otherworldly blue and green eyes with that speck of hazel.

 _I miss her._

He froze with his palm against the tiles, confusion plastered his face; snapping him out of his fantasy. _Why did I suddenly think that...in the shower of all places. And why would I miss her..I JUST saw her for crying out loud._

“Whatever, I must be going crazy” he finished rinsing and leapt out, drying himself with a towel. As he passed one of the large black mirrors he pulled his towel down, examining his physique in the reflection. He wasn’t out of shape but he certainly wasn’t in shape. _Maybe I should work out more._ The observation reached his top half and he stroked his chin examining every little detail of his face. _Am I...attractive? Should I cut my bangs? Maybe Asmo could give me some advice..._ He lifted his hair up with his free hand, styling it in many ways before coming to the conclusion this was ridiculous and flopped his bangs back into their usual place.

 _“_ What the hell am I doing?” he sighed and pawed through his games; still only wearing a towel due to being too wrapped up in his thoughts. Surely it wouldn’t hurt to play for a few hours before setting off to buy snacks. He had all day to himself anyway.

* * *

Solomon: Yo Levi, I hope you remembered to pick snacks up. (¬‿¬)

Leviathan: Dude I LITERALLY just got back, please tell me you weren’t after something in particular.

Solomon: Nah you’re good, I’ve been looking forward to this all damn day so I sort of forgot to eat. So I’ll eat anything ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Em: Hey guys! I’m back

Em: Sorry, Mammon dragged me all over Devildom today! We stopped by at Hell's Kitchen and ran into Beel, he said he’d be joining us a little late though.

Leviathan:...he’s coming to a MARATHON. HOW CAN YOU SHOW UP LATE TO A DAMN MARATHON, he’s going to miss the best parts!   
  
Leviathan: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

Em: LOL I thought the same thing tbh ~(˘▾˘~)

Em: What are your favourite parts Levi?

Solomon: I guarantee his answer will be : all of it.

Leviathan: ^ correct

Leviathan: You win

Leviathan: nothing. :)

Solomon: Aww why so mean T_T

Leviathan: Because you think you can suss me out so easily ;)

Leviathan: I actually do have one favourite _favourite scene_. 

Em: Ooooh?

Leviathan: But I aint telling anyone LOL. You’ll have to watch it and find out for yourselves!

Em: Wow, tease! ಥ_ಥ

Leviathan: I am to please, I aim to tease.

Em: pfffft, you also aim to cheese.

Solomon: ..you two know I’m still here right?

Solomon: >_>

Solomon: ANYWAY. @Em, is Mammon going to be joining us after all?

Leviathan: LOL I highly doubt it, Mammon would never appreciate the finer things in life like animé, TSL, ruri-chan <3 he’ll probably make a lame excuse.

Em: ...Actually he is coming ^^;

Em: He’s here with me now.

Solomon: Oh! Well that’s a surprise. I mean I don’t mind the more the merrier; right @Leviathan?

Leviathan: Yep I don’t mind but I’m not pausing anything if he falls asleep lolol

His fingers smashed the keyboard and he spat air out of his mouth in annoyance. Of course he was coming, if Em went anywhere Mammon was there like a little lapdog, wagging his tail and wanting belly rubs. Levi rolled his eyes, it was pathetic to watch. 

Em: OK that’s good because he said he’d come even if you guys did mind it ^^;;

Em: I’m gonna go get a quick shower, see you guys in a few hours!

Em has logged off.

**You have 1 new message.**

_Huh Solomons messaged me privately?_

Solomon: Hah Mammons adorable

Leviathan:...random? LOL

Solomon: Sorry, I just mean…

Solomon: It’s obvious he has a crush on her isn’t it? I think they’d actually make a cute couple.

Leviathan grit his teeth. 

Leviathan: You think? I dunno, Mammons too stupid and greedy for a relationship.plus yknow Ems a human.

Solomon: hmmm you may be right. But it is cute the way he follows her around. They made a pact together right?

Solomon: Alright then, so by your logic maybe I should date Em then. I mean **we are both human.** Plus she is really cute. 

Leviathan: Wait what?

Solomon: HAH I’m joking. But seriously, stop being so xenophobic, ya big smelly demon.

Leviathan: LOL wow what a snappy comeback.

He stared at Solomon's last message, the prickly feeling was back..

Solomon: I’m gonna head off, I have to go do a thing. 

Leviathan: sounds...fun?

Solomon; oh it is! Right I’ll see you soon :) 

Solomon has logged off.

The time had finally come for the long awaited movie marathon, Levi sprinkled chips, crackers, popcorn in little ceramic bowls and positioned them on his table. He brought out his tail and with one strong sweep he’d cleared the floor beneath him of any debris and dust. Being a demon had its perks sometimes.

*knock knock* _Oh! I wonder who’s arrived first_. He ran to inspect the door, spraying himself with cologne on the way. He’d settled on a white graphic t shirt and black jeans, no need to dress fancy for a movie night but he had taken a few attempts to choose his outfit.

“Yo it’s me” It was Solomon, he was always perfectly on time to any plans.

“Beep beep, what’s the secret phrase”

“Ugh….seriously Leviathan” he heard a faint chuckle through the door “Fiiine… The second lord attempted to steal the Lord of Corruption platypus’, which could lay golden eggs..” 

Levi smiled in approval and put on a deep voice “Having incurred the wrath of the lord of corruption for this misdeed..”

“Whats..with that voice?”

“Oi. You haven’t completed the password yet lowly human.” his voice snapped in fake anger. It was too fun to mess with Solomon like this.

“Ughhh … It was ordered that the second lord would be forever dubbed the lord of fools..okay, okay I’m done..right?”

Levi smirked. “DING Secret phrase authenticated. You may enter” he pulled the door open and was greeted by a gangly white haired man with lemon azure eyes. He was oddly over dressed, wearing a black leather jacket, white tshirt and grey trousers.

“You know this is a movie NIGHT not a premier...right LOL what’s with your get up?”

“I-I just wanted to look nice, nothing wrong with that is there?” there was the faintest tinge of blush on the white haired humans face, Levi chose to ignore it. He bowed enthusiastically and ushered his friend inside. 

“You know I’ve been here like..5 times now and I still get blown away dude, I want your aquarium, no. I need your aquarium” Solomon stepped over to the huge fish tank at the back of Levi’s room and stared in awe as he watched the fish swim by.

“You have no idea how many years I had to save up for that thing, I had to do all sorts of odd jobs for hardly any pay.”

“I like how you’re an immortal being but..you still have to work, it’s pretty ironic.”

“Well duh, being immortal doesn’t mean money grows on trees” Levi sat down on his couch and nodded at Solomon that he had permission to sit. The two conversed in small talk for awhile and then there were three loud bangs on the door.

“Oh I wonder who that could be, hey you should mess with them too!” Solomon teased. Levi grinned mischievously, he definitely wanted some form of payback on Mammon. He sprinted to the door and closed it after himself, coming face to face with his older brother who donned a brown biker jacket and jeans. And next to him was Em; she had opted for a casual look too, wearing a sweater dress and leggings. 

“Oi, you gonna let us in or what?”

“H-hi Levi” Em smiled. Mammon narrowed his eyes, trying to get past Levi who stood guarding his door. 

“Actually you need to answer a question each to get in” he stated. 

“Ugh..can we not?” Mammon sighed.

“Bzzzt, that’s the wrong answer.” 

“Oh come on! Ya big nerd.”

“Bzzt wrong answer.” Levi had a toothy grin on his face.

“YA AINT EVEN ASKED ME ANYTHIN’ Mammon threw his hands in the air, pretending to strangle his violet haired sibling. Em was stifling her laughter as best as she could. Levi winked playfully at her and mouthed “watch him squirm”.

“Okay Mammon, what are the three types of Mokepon starters?” 

_If he gets this I’ll eat my headphones._

“Ah! That’s...that’s easy it’s… errr psyc-”

“Bzzzzzt wrong answer” He turned to Em and repeated the question. Em laughed and without missing a beat “ it’s water, grass and fire, however if this is a trick question, which knowing you it is… they sit in the order grass, fire and water.”

Levi’s face lit up like a christmas tree, she was right the previous night about understanding him more than he thought. “Ding ding we have a winner! Em, you’re invited to my humble abode.” he lifted his arm out of the way so she could squeeze past.

“You can stay out here because you failed even guessing the right types, let alone the order, have fun brother.” Leviathans gaze turned cold but his voice was light and playful as he waved dramatically to Mammon who was still stood there in confusion.

“Oi! You can’t be serious?”

“I’m cloooooooosing the door~” he dragged the door at a snails pace towards the frame.  
  
“Unless you can get this ONE question correct”

“FINE. just no more stupid Mokepon questions _please”_ Mammon pleaded with puppy dog eyes.

“As you wish…name the main character from the Chronicles of Zelda” 

“Well duh you just gave it away, it’s Zelda!” his brother clapped his hands together in premature victory.

Leviathan flashed a toothy grin ” Nope!” and closed the door over. As he was walking to the couch inside his room he heard banging noises and insults being thrown his way. 

_Oh the look on your face was priceless brother..I’ll remember that for years to come._

“Leviathan you truly are a demon.” Solomon handed Levi a glass of wine and they clinked in celebration. Em just sat on the couch sipping hers but smiled in amusement.

Levi smiled in appreciation and bowed. “I’ll take that as a compliment”

“No seriously that was hilarious, but maybe we should let him in now…” Solomon trudged over to the door and with some protest from Levi, he cheerfully opened it; wine glass in hand and let Mammon in, who looked positively seething with rage.  
  
"I hate you." he spat out.

Leviathan, Em and Solomon all laughed as he threw himself on the couch moping.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh I really like this chapter, Leviathan is too damn adorable and funny.
> 
> After some heavy couple of chapters and a lot of suffering on Levi's part I gave him a little bit of a break and threw Mammon under the bus in this chapter. I do love all the characters I'm not picking on anyone in particular! The angels will start to have a bigger role to play after the movie night too :) I haven't forgotten about them.


	12. Movie Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Movie night with the bois and more fluff.

“Vol 2.

Though they represent two different species the protagonist Henry and the lord of shadow bridge such differences to form a pact. Working together, they set a reap for the lord of fools. Who falls victim to it.  
  


The lord of fools is then driven off and chased into a snowy northern country. In the cold barren wastes he discovered the frozen body of a former sweetheart, Geldie. He once loved her, before they parted.”

_Gahhhh Henry is so cool! Why can't I be more like him, he's so awesome!_

  
Mammon was sobbing in the dark corner of the sofa, Em sat beside him trembling with a handkerchief sandwiched between him and Levi who was also tearing up. Solomon however sat on the far corner looking bored. “Ugh, I really don’t like this volume, it’s so….melodramatic.”

“Don’t you dare die Geldie, it can’t end like this it just can’t! Hes gonna find a way to save her right? Please..please tell me he saves her” Mammon screeched at the others who sat in silence. 

Leviathan rolled his eyes. “ You won’t know unless you shut the hell up and pay attention!” He had seen the entirety of TSL many times so luckily he knew the story like the back of his hand, but his loudmouth brother was ruining the atmosphere. He glanced towards Em, at the very least she seemed to be enjoying it, he smiled behind his hand as he chewed on some popcorn. 

_Two volumes in and Beel still hasn’t turned up, I mean honestly you’d think he’d be the first one here with all this food._

A few hours passed and they were knee deep into Volume 5. 

“The lord of flies faces a crisis after his country is invaded by hostile forces from another land. The opposing arm isolates them, cutting off the supply lines so they starve. Hoping to aid his brother the lord of fools arranges for food supplies to be smuggled in, however a long spell of wet rainy weather causes all food to spoil. As a result the lord of flies land is beset by an outbreak of disease on the top of the famine they already face.”

“I cant believe the food ended up spoiling. It's not fair he was being so helpful, and he meant well so why..why..why” Mammon was back at it, sobbing and sniffling like a baby.

Levi grit his teeth and paused the dvd for the 50th time that evening. “ Mammon, I’m glad you’re enjoying it but... will you _PLEASE_ shut up!” he looked over at Em beckoning for her to say something.

“Mammon, I understand how you feel” she spoke through hiccuped sobs “ you...you just can’t not cry at this but I do agree with Levi...you need to calm down” she reassured him, patting his knee. Levi mouthed a thank you to her and then Mammon embraced her “Oh but Em I just! Ugh… those poor people!”. Levi turned away in disgust and just as he was about to press play on the remote there was a loud bang on the door making everyone; even Solomon jump.

“PLEASE TELL ME YOU’VE STILL GOT POPCORN LEFT” a deep bellowing voice shouted behind the door. Leviathan sighed, his brother was 4 hours late to a 7 hour marathon and he had planned a surprise quiz after it was over.

_Well I’d win anyway so I guess it doesn’t really matter._

He hopped over to the door and was greeted by a pouting baby faced Beel. “I’m so so so sorry I’m late bro, I fell asleep after eating too many cheeseburgers in Hell's Kitchen; I actually only woke up because Satan wanted his food magazines back.”

Levi sighed and pinched his nose. “...it’s fine, just get your ass in here.” Beel grinned apologetically and threw all of his weight down on the couch, stealing Levis' seat next to Em. Beel rested one arm behind her and dug into the remainder of the snacks. 

“Vol 7.

In the year 825 of the ancient era the lord of emptiness leads a sudden rebellion against his elder brother the lord of corruption. Unwilling to forgive the betrayal the lord of corruption imprisons him within the tower of shadow at the furthest corner of the world.

The other lords lament the fate that has befallen their youngest brother but there’s nothing they can do for they fear incurring the wrath of the lord of corruption above all else.” The tv screen went black as the credits rolled. Levi wiped a stray tear from his cheek and sighed contently, Beel and Em held each other's hands reassuringly, even Solomon had to clear his throat to mask his sadness.

Mammon was a blubbering mess “How could they abandon their brother like that! Heartless bastards that’s what I think!” Beel remained silent but shared a knowing glance with Levi. 

_Mammons got a nerve to call the other lords bastards when he himself won’t mention Belphie either… hypocrite scum._

The lights flickered back on and Leviathan stood up sighing “Well we’re all finished… what did you guys think?” 

“I...that was...amazing!” Em was the first to compose herself as she blew her nose on her handkerchief. “Is there more…?”

Levi chuckled “Actually there’s one more volume coming out but it’s unfinished... and it might be years before we get it” he sighed sadly.

“Oh well that’s a shame….I would have liked to have watched it with..everyone.” Em hung her head regretfully.

“Oh that’s right...you’re only here for a year…” Levi bit the inside of his cheek. “Well whilst you’re here we’ll just have to make the most of it and watch it over and over again! Ah but...not the 1990 version; it suuuuuucked.”

Solomon chuckled and piped up “Yeah they decided to add characters that weren’t in the original manuscript; it was a huge mess. Also Beel you alright, you haven’t said anything in awhile?”

“...I’m hungry again that’s all, I’m just gonna go get some food from the kitchen.” Beel stood up and slinked past everyone; his eyes puffy and red and his lip wavered. Leviathan took note of his brothers unusual silence and decided to follow after him. “Ah yeah I’m gonna help you, I need some soda anyway. Anyone want anything?” they all shook their heads as they discussed the movies as Levi and Beel stepped outside.

Levi made sure the door was closed properly as he confronted his red haired brother. “Hey...are you okay? You’re thinking about Belphie again aren’t you” his voice barely a whisper on the offchance Lucifer was in the vicinity.

“Oh Levi...I miss him so damn much, I..I did enjoy the movies though.. I just. I think I’m gonna head back to my room.” Beel glanced down at his brother with his purple eyes on the verge of tears. 

“Yeah that’s probably for the best...I’m glad you enjoyed it though...well what you saw of it. Thanks for coming.” Leviathans hand hesitated in the air, hovering over Beels shoulder. “I’ll make something up, so don’t worry about the others.” 

“Thanks bro” Beel swung his arm around his brother and squeezed him tightly, Levi gasped for air and pushed him off. 

“Yeah yeah, anyway go on, get out of here.” He put his hands in jeans pocket and made his way to the kitchen.

* * *

“I was gone for like...ten minutes and you’re telling me they fell asleep?!” Leviathan crept up to the sofa, Mammon had his head resting against Levi’s treasured Ruri-chan pillow, drool hanging out of his mouth. Solomon had also dozed off in the far corner, his hand draped over the armrest and his DDD in his other hand. Em was the only one conscious.

“...Yeah… I think all the crying wore Mammon out. And Solomon said he’s been up studying really late recently… I’m used to late nights so I guess you’re stuck with me...i-if that’s okay”. She twiddled her fingers and smirked at the sleeping demon next to her. “Oh..let me just move..this” she carefully slid the Ruri chan pillow from under his hands and passed it to Levi. 

“..Thanks. I swear if he’d gotten any drool on her he wouldn’t be waking up ever again.” he said as he dusted off the pillow, checking for any damages. Ems shoulders shook as she tried to stifle a giggle and then she stood up, creeping around the table.

“So...what now? I mean I can go back to my room but..I’m not sleepy yet.”

“Yeah me either, I.I slept really well last night…” he blushed, he was alone with her again and it looked like he was spending another night in her company. The two scooted down the sofa next to Solomon as Mammon had stretched himself out taking up a lot of the space. Em and Levi kept their voices just above a whisper incase the others woke up; they settled on taking it in turns on Mokepon Axe version. 

“ _No no no what are you doing, use that move… it’s got resistance to poison_.” He shouted in a whisper.

 _“But I’m out of pp!..oh wait I have ethers_ ” she grinned at the purple haired man next to her. 

“ _Seriously LOL you only just noticed?”_

“I’m sorry, I get tunnel vision when I play…” she faked a pout and her eyes widened “Levi! Look look my eggs close to hatching” 

“Oh I bet it’s a shiny, you’re so lucky when it comes to them...it took me 800 eggs to get a damn magikoi.” he sighed and then raised his eyebrow. “Em...look at Solomon, quick”

Solomon had turned in his sleep and was moving his mouth open and closed, mumbling in his sleep whilst smiling. 

“I think..he’s dreaming of eating food?” 

“Hey you wanna mess with him?” Levi grabbed two pocky sticks from the packet on the table and placed them carefully in Solomon's mouth, making him resemble a walrus. Em smacked her hand over her mouth trying not to burst out laughing right there and then.

“He’ll kill you when he wakes up!” she shoved Leviathan playfully and he met her gaze, smiling fondly at her. She decided she’d join in the fun and drew two angry eyebrows over his real ones, causing Levi to double over in silent laughter. They then decided that Mammon should suffer too and gave him cat whiskers.

“I can’t..I can’t take any more omg” Em grabbed her DDD and took pictures of the pair, giggling to herself as she saved them to her gallery.

“Hey Em, I’m glad to see you’ve cheered up…” Levi softened his gaze; watching her expressions change as she flicked through her photos.

“O-oh, yeah, I feel a lot better now. Seriously..thank you for being there for me last night. And I’ve had a lot of fun hanging out with you tonight.” she put her phone back in her pocket and caught his glance, he had an expression on his face that made her heart beat faster for one moment.

 _The way her face lights up when she laughs... I want to see her smile more like that._ His heart throbbed in his chest, and he felt a warm glow which made him flinch and stop laughing.

“Levi...is everything okay?” 

“A-a yeah. I’m fine! Just got really warm for a second there lol, must be from laughing? We should probably call it a night though..it’s like..2am. I did have a quiz planned after the movies but well..these two sleeping beauties ruined it.”

“Hah yeah, I feel warm too, have you got a window in here; or a fan?” she fanned herself with a nearby pillow and exhaled dramatically. 

“Ah yeah sure! One sec” he jumped up and returned with two small hand fans, one for her and one for himself. “You might want to keep it on a low setting in case it wakes those two up though. I can’t wait to see the look on their faces in the morning LOL”.

“Yeah lol you’re so dead.” Em laughed in response and then looked over at the two doodled men. "Well they're not waking up anytime soon so, I may as well stay too...i-if that's okay."

“S-sure but...HEY! what do you mean me? You’re my partner in crime” he flicked his bangs out of his eyes and held the fan towards his face.

 _Why...does my chest hurt when I’m around you, Em?_ He bit his nails, lost in thought for a moment.

Em looked at him with a curious expression on her face “You do that a lot...space out I mean…” 

“Sorry, I just... nah it’s nothing.” he dismissed the thoughts and grabbed the remainder of his soda as he watched Em grab a blanket and drape it over herself, and she slowly dozed off.

 _I should probably sleep too… please just no weird dreams tonight alright?_

He smiled at Ems sleeping form and whispered goodnight as he retreated to his bedtub for some rest.

* * *

A few hours later Mammons DDD started ringing and he groggily opened his eyes and put his alarm on snooze. Levi hadn't been able to sleep, he had tried but ended up just lying in his bed reading some manga, he smirked as he heard Mammon yawning, walking into the bathroom.

_3...2….1…._

_“_ OI! WHO DID THIS TO MY BEAUTIFUL FACE!?” footsteps stomped on the hard floor, getting closer and closer to Levi who sat in his bed expectantly. He felt a threatening presence behind him and then cold damp hands gripped around his neck.

“WHAT DO YA THINK YOU’RE DOIN’, OH YOU’RE SOOOO DEAD” Mammon shook his brother aggressively, lightly choking him. 

“Ack- Mammon - stop- why-why are your hands wet- ew ew - gross!” Levi struggled to get away, ripping his brothers hands away with all of his force, he ducked and threw his body forward.

“Ugh...Morning everyo- what the hell is this…” Solomon was the next to awaken from his slumber, he firmly grasped the pocky from his mouth and snapped them in half with an irritated; almost deceptively warm smile on his face. “I’ll deal with it after a shower” he mumbled to himself and slammed the door behind him, completely ignoring everyone else in the room.

Mammon facepalmed and went to sit next to Em who was still fast asleep, Levi did not like the way his brother was looking at her whilst she breathed slowly and peacefully; somehow unfazed by the shouting earlier.

_She’s not a piece of meat._

He chewed on the inside of his cheek again until it was practically red raw. It was only when Solomon stepped back out of the bathroom some time later that he came back to his senses. 

“Leviathan...did you...draw on my face?” Solomon appeared with damp hair and fresh clothes, he had big black smudges over his eyebrows where Em had drawn on him.

“I...ummm” _It was Em but I don’t want to throw her under the bus...although they might be more forgiving...no no I can’t rat her out; we’re partners in crime after all._

“You know what...I’m not even surprised.” the white haired man sighed and scrubbed his face with his towel. “If it doesn’t come off, you’re in trouble, demon.”

“Ah hah, it should come off though, Mammons whiskers are barely visible now!”

“Yeah..only because I practically burned my face off with hot water, you’re so immature I swear, it’s no wonder you’re a virgin.” Mammon said in a mocking and rather cold tone.

Levi rose to his feet and clenched his fists. “Why must you bring that up every goddamn chance you get!”

“Oh? I mean..I’m kind of shocked.” Solomons eyes widened, he'd expected all of the brothers to have done the deed at least once but then Levi didn't really show interest in things like that so maybe he wasn't that surprised.

“Not you too Solomon...why is it so shocking?!” The purple haired virgin whined, it sounded like even Solomon thought he was pathetic.

“Well..you’re immortal for starters; I would’ve thought you’d err...done it at some point in the god knows how long you’ve been alive.”

“I’ve never...I ...there’s never been an opportunity okay.” Levi could feel his face burning and he shrunk into his t-shirt. 

_I've never met anyone that gives me those sorts of urges._

_Well. Not_ _a 3D person anyway._

“What are ya talking about! A few hundred years ago, before you grew out those stupid bangs you had girls crazy for you! You could’ve easily had your way with them!” Mammon had forgotten his indoor voice and Em was starting to stir. "And I think we've said a billion times we can sort it out for ya!"

“Well I was never interested okay! I’ve never had those sort of feelings before, I’ve not even had my first kiss! Yes…. go ahead all laugh at the worthless virgin demon who in his..I don’t even care anymore.. 4000? years of existence has never popped his cherry, let alone kissed a girl!” the purple aura flared around Leviathan and his tail, scales and horns started to poke through his skin. 

“Hey we never said anything like that dude, you need to calm down… oh..Em…sorry we woke you up.” Solomon winced at the scene in front of him, the demon brothers certainly weren’t boring he’d give them that; he felt like he witnessed family drama on some sort of scale everyday since he arrived here.

Levi's voice started to waver. “I’m just so... _sick_ and tired of you all laughing at me. Do you have any idea how pathetic I feel...every goddamn day… looking at you all with your perfect bodies, your looks, your confidence. Meanwhile I’m struggling to find reasons why I want to even be here anymore... I feel like the only person who appreciates me for who I am is sitting right there.” he pointed at Em who just stared up at him in confusion and pity as he continued to ramble; his horns were fully formed now and the aura had grown stronger but tears filled his eyes on the verge of falling.

_She is the only person who has ever taken notice of me, the others just see me as a joke..a waste of space._

“Oi, calm down before you go on a rampage! Listen, I’m only gonna say this once; you may not be my brother related by blood but you’re still my brother dammit. You’re jealous of our bodies? Our looks and our confidence? You could have the same if you just put a bit more effort into yourself! You sit here moping around and isolate yourself...for..the past what 400 years? But somehow it’s our faults because we’ve worked hard for the bodies we have? You do it to yourself Levi, when are you going to get over yourself and grow up! Do you not _want_ the chance to graduate? Because all you do is sit in your room and waste time. I only take digs at you because I’m worried about ya! You need to learn to live a little, hell I’ve got a few succubi on my contacts list, I will give you their numbers if you wanna get things over with.”

“Umm Mammon I don’t think t-” Solomon started to interject but was cut off.

“....MAMMON STOP!” a high pitched scream echoed throughout the room and everyone snapped their attention to the source. Em looked down right furious, an expression none of them had seen before; Levi’s horns shrank at the sight of those intense angry eyes. She came in between the two brothers holding her arms up; her bandaged one hanging slightly lower, and inhaled. “Do you ever stop and think before you speak? Did you even listen to what Levi was trying to tell you; he looks up to you all, he’s trying to tell you he’s depressed and what do you do? You yell at him and blame it on him. Yes he..needs confidence but yelling at him and putting him down all the time won’t help!” she clutched her chest and took a few deep breaths. 

Levi felt that familiar thump in his chest as Em continued to defend him.

_S-she sounds so confident!_

Em turned and looked at Levi with a warmer expression “Mammon before you go calling all those succubi did it ever occur to you that Levi might not want to just have a one night stand like you do? He might actually want to do it with someone he cares about...who he trusts…”

“Em I’m sorry I-” The white haired demon flinched, his arms flailing about in panic.

“I’m not finished.” she snapped her head back at Mammon, Solomon debated between taking his DDD out and calling for help or recording this. 

“I’ve spent a lot of time with you Mammon, you talk about Levi in a bad light all the time...but you actually love your brother right? You’re jealous of him...right? Because you always tell me bad things about him like you want me to stay away from him, well I’m sorry but Levi is my friend. You’re all my friends... but the relationship I have with him is special and I refuse to listen to your remarks any longer.” she grabbed Levi’s hand trembling slightly and led him out into the corridor. “Don’t follow us unless it's an apology...a proper one!”

_Sp-special? Special how?_

“E-e-em wait!” Levi was stunned, was this really Em right now? He’d seen traces of her confidence the night before but nothing like this; she’d told Mammon off good and proper and made a fool of him. 

She marched the both of them down the corridor and up the stone staircase nearest Levi’s room; they ended up in the Observatory.

“S...sorry, I lost my temper” she dropped his hand, flushing red from embarrassment and anger.

“I...that..that was amazing Em. thank you for standing up for me like that.”

“I don’t care you know; that you’re a virgin. I mean really it’s no-ones business but your own….besides I-I’m a virgin too.” she confessed, throwing her hands over her face.

Levi couldn’t help but laugh at her reaction “Yeah but Em you’re...insanely younger than me, it’s only natural, I mean...I’m..I’m wrong I’m unnatural.”

“Yeah but I still wish they’d butt out of your business. treating your body like that, sleeping around…. It’s nothing to be proud of at all and they should be ashamed of themselves for pressuring you all the time.” she exhaled a shaky drawn out breath and stared out of the glass window infront of them “I...where are we?”

“Oh is this your first time up here? This is the Observatory, Belphie..used to love coming up here and napping on that hammock over there” he pointed to a nearby cow patterned hammock and then breathed a sigh of relief. “You’ve only been here a month and I… you’re a true friend to me Em. Is-is it too soon to call you that?”

She looked taken aback and then smiled “N-no I don’t think so, to be honest.. I know I hang out with Mammon the most but I’d consider you my best friend.” she blushed furiously and averted her eyes. “S-so..are you...mad at me?”

Levi also blushed at the statement and chuckled nervously “Mad at you, why in hell would I be mad at you?”

_If anything I want to thank you._

“For yelling like that...for assuming things about you and dragging you out of your room… I don’t know why but I just snapped.” It occurred to Levi that she was still talking more than usual with him and during the evening she’d been laughing and joking more honestly. 

“I’m happy Em. Mammon needed taking down a peg or two, assume all you want...you were right.. I eventually do want to find someone I can….l..lo- nevermind, lets talk about something else.. It’s not polite to talk about this stuff infront of a girl” he ruffled his bangs, making a cutting gesture with his fingers.

Em furrowed her brow “Levi...you don’t need to change yourself. You’re fine the way you are.” she grabbed his hand and pulled it away from his hair bringing him eye level with her, the two locked eyes for what felt like an eternity; then Em snapped her head away. “I- I told you the other night, you just need to accept yourself and not take any shit.”

Levi raised his eyebrows “Em...did you just...curse?” he said in a playful tone.

“..I’m eighteen..I curse a lot when people aren’t around” she muttered.

“Hah really? Like when!”   
  
“When I’m on Dance Now...I stubbed my toe on my bed the other day and swore so loud I think Lucifer probably heard” she looked down at her foot and giggled sheepishly. “Y-you should play with me sometime!...uh I mean play IT with me..the game.” 

Levi looked at her for a second and then smiled “Sure! But on one condition.” his face grew stern for a millisecond and then snapped back to joyful “You have to finish watching One Thing with me; at the very least the first 25 episodes, w-we fell asleep last time remember?”

“A-ah yeah haha.. deal, I’m due to start going to class again soon though.. And I’ve thought about it and I might get a job…I don’t want to rely on everyone for the rest of my time here” she didn’t want to bring up the fact she was only here temporarily but it had to be said.

_Oh yeah...I keep forgetting you’re gonna leave..._

“A job huh....are you sure you’re gonna be okay? I know you’re not the best with crowds” he remarked.

The human girl twiddled her fingers in thought. “I think so..as long as it’s somewhere quiet I’ll be alright.”

Levi thought about it for a moment and then an idea struck “Ah! You should talk to Satan or Beel about it, Beel is on really good terms with Hells Kitchen and Satans ex manages the Royal Library, so it’d be perfect for you.”

“Oh? To be honest a Library is tempting...” The two of them talked for quite some time and watched the world below them, after some time they were joined by Solomon.

“I thought you might’ve been here...Mammon went back to his room; I think he’s still in shock after what you said Em. Who knew you were hiding quite a temper under there...Levi, please accept my apology.” the sorcerer bowed his head feeling ashamed.

“Huh why are you apologizing?” Levi tilted his head in confusion, Solomon hadn't really said anything out of order.

“Well I may not have gone as far as Mammon but what I said probably made you feel a little uncomfortable, just know it wasn’t my intention.” the platinum haired human extended his arm out gesturing for a handshake, Leviathan eyed him hesitantly and shook his hand. 

“O-oh well...apology accepted, but I’m still pissed you fell asleep before I could get the quiz started.” 

“Ah yeah I’m sorry about that too, Barbatos and I - you know what it’s nothing.” he smiled that suspiciously friendly smile once more like he'd snapped out of something.

_I feel like he’s hiding something...but it might just be me overthinking things._

“Well we’ll have to reschedule for some other time then, umm Em you comin back? I need some breakfast.” Leviathan called over to her; she seemed to have been in a trance of her own.

“Ah sure!” 

The three of them made their way back to the corridor and headed towards the kitchen.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter turned out to be pretty long! The fluff is starting to really get aggressive now as feelings are had; I'm really trying my best to keep this a slow burn though haha, luckily plot is starting to happen now as we jump into the pact thing.
> 
> update (latest chapter is 26): I've gone through the story and made it so even they've lost track for now but thank you so much to kissa_kitty0325 for an idea I can implement in the future.


	13. Better

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A week has passed since the eventful movie night. Em has landed a job, Levi has a run in with the two angel exchange students and then has a much needed heart to heart with Asmodeus.

**The House of Lamentation (7)**

Leviathan: OMG

Leviathan: OMG

Leviathan: SERIOUSLY

Leviathan: I’M SHAKING

Leviathan: I’M SO HAPPY RIGHT NOW LOLOLOL

Satan: Levi calm down...

Satan: I keep losing my place in this novel because of you.

Mammon: Oi! I can only read so fast...

Asmodeus: Oooh I wonder what’s got Levi so excited~

Beezlebub: Maybe he’s happy because Hell's Kitchen have extended their opening hours?

Asmodeus: No, that’s you ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Beelzebub: Oh right, yep it is :D

Em: ^^;; you OK there Levi?

Em: It’s probably animé related ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Leviathan: Em is half right!

Lucifer: If he doesn’t stop spamming I’ll revoke his texting privileges...or **I could rip out the internet router**. What would you prefer, my dearest brother?

Leviathan: Eh?! No no you can’t! I need the internet right now! 

Leviathan: Because Ruri-chans DATING SIM GAME IS COMING OUT NEXT MONTH! 

Leviathan: ☜(⌒▽⌒)☞

Satan: ...*sigh*

Asmodeus: .... (¬_¬)

Lucifer. ...I’ll go unplug the router.

Em: ^^’’ that’s great Levi! I know you’ve been looking forward to it for a while!

Mammon: Levi....I know I apologized last week but..dude please stop giving me reasons to tease ya.

Asmodeus: Maybe Levi actually likes being teased~

Asmodeus: ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Leviathan: Say what you want guys, normally I’d be bothered but today I just don’t care 

Leviathan: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Lucifer: Oh really? Is that an invitation?

Lucifer: You heard him everyone. He doesn’t care what we say about him today.

Lucifer: May I go first?

Em: Umm Lucifer.. I don’t think he actually meant it like that

Em: Let’s just be happy for him! 

Leviathan: Em! You understand how I feel...seriously I’ve been waiting for this for years but they kept delaying it T_T but now she’s finally mine mwahahahaha

Leviathan: ( ಠ ͜ʖರೃ)

Asmodeus: Yep he’s well and truly lost it~

Asmodeus: Moving swiftly on ~ @Em! Are you almost ready ~

Satan: Oh you’re going somewhere together? 

Asmodeus: I’m taking Em shopping again, we love our little dates, don’t we ~

Satan: Do you mind if I tag along? I need to stop by Majolish for some printer ink, and maybe I’ll stop by the Library for some more crime novels...

Mammon: Eh you didn’t invite me Em!

Mammon: So cruel T_T

Beelzebub: hehe you really just want to go see Abaddon don’t you bro?

Beelzebub: Man I don’t understand why you don’t just get back together.

Em: Sorry guys I had to clean some juice up because @Mammon decided to spill it all over my bed -__-

Em: Of course you can @Satan! And yes Asmo, I’ll meet you outside at the main gate in 20 mins! 

Leviathan: Oh, have fun guys ^^

Em: Levi you’re welcome to join us!

Mammon: I wouldn't bother invitin' him anywhere, he never leaves his room...

Mammon: Whereas I'd be more than grateful to even get an invite.

Em: Mammon you have no grimm, and I refuse to pay for your food AGAIN.

Asmodeus: Nuh uh, I don’t normally mind sharing but Ems a special case.

Satan: But I’m coming too..?

Asmodeus: Yeah but you’ve already got your eyes on another woman, Levi’s more of a threat to me than you are.

Leviathan: Screw you @Asmodeus.

Leviathan: I’d come if I could but I’ve gotta post some reviews, I need the cash for the Rurichan game <3 

Em: Oh OK, well I’ll see you tomorrow then!

Lucifer: Are you not joining us for dinner tonight Em?

Em: mmmm nope if you don’t mind I’m going to stay in my room tonight ^^

Em: At the risk of getting my texting privileges revoked I’ll just say one thing.

Em: One thing.

Leviathan: LOLOL you’re hooked aren’t you?!

Leviathan: But why are you watching without me T_T

Em: I’m watching the spin off movies! 

Em: I’d never abandon you like that <3

Leviathan: <3

Lucifer: <3

Leviathan: Uhh

_What the hell is up with him?_

Asmodeus: <3

Asmodeus: Sorry I felt left out ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Mammon: <3

Mammon: yeah me too

Beelzebub: Well if you're all doing it then

Beelzebub: <3 :D

Satan: if I must

Satan: <3

Satan: btw @Em I’m sorry if this is sudden but I have to say.

Satan: I’m astonished by your progress.

Em: My progress? Oh do you mean for getting the job?

Asmodeus: Oh you got a job? Our little Em’s growing up (ಥ﹏ಥ)

Satan: No I meant your anxiety. But yes, congratulations on your job again. I’m glad you came to me about it.

Satan: Abaddon said it was a pleasure to work with you.

Satan: You’ve really come a long way in the short time you’ve been here. When you first arrived you were like a timid kitten and would jump anytime someone approached.

Em: Oh...Thanks Satan! ^^;

Em: And I’m really happy to hear that from Abaddon!

Asmodeus: Oh I remember like it was yesterday, you were precious and I just wanted to gobble you up Em!

Asmodeus: If I'm honest I still do ♥‿♥

Leviathan: You probably shouldn’t say things like that, we’re demons remember lol.

Asmodeus: Oh that’s not what I meant ;)

Leviathan ಠ╭╮ಠ I know what you meant.

Leviathan: Stop it. now.

Lucifer: For once I agree with Satan. It is....pleasant to see you getting on so well with everyone, but I must ask. What is the cause?

Lucifer: @Asmodeus. If you keep saying vile things like that I’ll revoke your privileges too.

Asmodeus: Ooooh Luci, how mean ~ how else will you punish me ~

Em: Oh @Lucifer ^^’’ well umm

Mammon: No duh it’s because of me, right Em??

Em: hah well...

Em: I think you’ve all had a part to play.

Em: I don’t want to go too much into my human life because it’ll bore you lol, lets just say you’ve all brought back a bit of my confidence.

Em: So..thank you @everyone!

Leviathan: No prob ^^

Asmodeus: Awwh Em stop, you’re too cute~

Beelzebub: You don’t talk about yourself enough Em :) 

Lucifer: You’re welcome.

Mammon: so it’s not because of my awesomeness T_T?

Em: It’s thanks to everyone's awesomeness ^^

Em: Anyway I’ll see you soon Asmo and Satan!

Em: Have a good day Levi ^^

Em: Ah and everyone else! 

Em has logged off.

Mammon: Why didn’t I get a personal goodbye :( 

Leviathan: LOL 

Leviathan: I’m gonna take off too, those reviews won’t write themselves ^^

Leviathan: Have a good day @Lucifer @Asmodeus @Beelzebub @Satan @Em

Beelzebub: OK that was pretty funny!

Mammon: T_T he still hasn’t forgiven me has he?

Leviathan has logged off.

_No I haven’t._

Levi sighed and threw his DDD down, still slightly puzzled by Lucifers heart emoji. It had been a week since the mess of a movie night he’d planned. Things had always been awkward between him and Mammon but now more so than ever. Mammon had finally approached him a few days after the event; probably due to the fact Em had been off with him too, he seemed sincere but Levi was convinced his brother was just apologizing because he didn’t want Em to think less of him.

 _That’s enough of that anyway...time to get to work._ He cracked his knuckles and grabbed his headphones, cranking up the volume as the music blared through his ears, a synthetic violin rang through his mind as the song started and Levi started bobbing his head and typing to the rhythm.

“Never let you go! Never let you go! Saranaru hikari ga terasu made I go!” he sang out passionately in Japanese, almost fluently as he fist pumped the air. 

_Ah I seriously love Stray Imps...which reminds me I need to start watching Castle of God, the reviews say it’s really good._

_“Re:start is a roller-coaster from beginning to end. It starts out like any generic isekai trope but develops into a very emotional story about despair, madness and loss. Suzuki is a breath of fresh air and a relatable protagonist as we get to see him lose his mind._

_Looking forward to the highly anticipated second season, I would recommend this anime and I give it an 8/10.”_

_Phew! That’s one down and 5 more to go._

He grabbed his soda and downed it, writing was always thirsty work, as he crushed the empty can in his hand he saw his DDD light up next to him.

**You have 1 new message.**

Em: Hey! I’m just checking in ^^ how are those reviews coming along?

Levi practically dove for his phone, ripping the headphones off his head.

Leviathan: Hey! Hows your date with Asmo and Satan LOL

Leviathan: I've just finished one, the others shouldn't take too long :)

Em: Ugh don’t call it that! 

Em: It’s actually been rather nice! Asmo isn’t _that_ bad, we’re just in Majolish picking out some new clothes, Satan bolted over to the plush section because they had cats LOL I don't understand why Lucifer won't let him have one...ah sorry I don’t mean to bore you!

Leviathan: LOL you’re not. What sort of clothes?

Leviathan: I could do with some new things myself tbh

Leviathan: Satan would hoard them worse than I hoard animé so..that's probs why ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Em: Oh? Asmo said he’d be happy to help you if you step by his room after dinner.

Em: or I could take you ^^ I used to help Nate pick stuff out all the time. 

Em: You prefer red shirts right?

_Huh....no..I like blue....?_

Leviathan: I’m more a blue guy :)

Leviathan: umm... tell Asmo I might take him up on the offer, it’s been awhile since we hung out.

Em: OK ^^ he practically just fainted from shock LOL.

Em: Anyway I hope you have a good evening ^^

Leviathan: Feel free to message me if you can’t sleep later.

Leviathan: Oh and enjoy One Thing!

_That shirt thing was a bit...odd. I told her my favourite colour is blue, and well you don't have to be a genius to figure that out._

_She still sees Nate when she looks at me doesn’t she?_

_I wonder if there’s any articles on that._

He tapped his fingers against the keyboard, trying to find the right wording. “ _Thinking someone is someone else who died._ ” Almost immediately he got hits and clicked on the Vikipedia link towards the top of the page. _“Displacement. In psychology, displacement is an unconscious defence mechanism whereby the mind substitutes either a new aim or a new object for goals felt in their original form to be dangerous or unacceptable.”_

 _Hmmm.. that sounds similar, okay but how do you treat it?_

He clacked away on his keyboard reading all sorts of articles on the subject. Most were unhelpful to him as they were directed towards the person who was suffering from the grief, but he did manage to find a few forum posts from people who’d have the same problem with being mistaken in the sufferers mind. Levi scrolled through the posts until he found an answer most helpful.

_“My boyfriend kept comparing me with his cousin who had passed away and it got worse and worse; he even showed me a picture of her dog and when I asked if it was hers he said I “recognized it”. Basically I just had to keep reinforcing that I was not in fact his cousin, unfortunately the ball was very much in his court and he had to work through his own grief. We’re fine now thankfully, but it got pretty creepy at times.”_

“Yikes that’s not good...well she hasn’t gotten to that stage yet but...” Levi grew concerned, he certainly didn’t want Em to go down this dark path, some posts got pretty scary mentioning things like yandere territory and possessiveness. “Okay, I guess I just have to drill it into her head how me and him aren’t the same person. I’ll show her how different we actually are; I mean for starters I look nothing like him!”.

_Ugh I’m all out of soda, and I keep forgetting to stock up this damn minifridge._

_Time for a kitchen run I think._

He stretched his back as he got up out of his chair and quickly made his way down to the kitchen, he was lost deep in his own thoughts when- 

“OOF I’m so sor- oh. Ugh, stupid demon, you need to watch where you’re going.” a light blonde haired boy who looked no taller than a small child sneered up at Levi who towered over him. His outfit appeared to be different than the usual RAD uniform it was all white with gold trimming, he paired it with navy blue cravat around his neck, a navy blue and white-to-light blue gradient stole adorned with star patterns, and a white beret rested on his head decorated with a gold cross pattern.

“Ah you must be Fido-oh I mean Luke, right?” Levi slipped up. He’d heard of the angel transfer students from his brothers. They’d arrived a few weeks before Em and Solomon oddly enough. They'd been here longer but because Levi tended to stay in the House of Lamentation this was his first run in with one.

“What did you just call me?! You better watch yourself demon scum, I’ll report you to Michael!”

 _Michael. There's a name that I haven’t heard in awhile._ He grimaced and forced a smile. “Sorry it was a slip of the tongue! Are you lost though? You shouldn’t be in the House of Lamentation, this is **_our_** home.” 

“I’m here on official angel business, I need to speak to someone called Emilia Cartel, so wherever you’ve got her locked up I demand to know!” Luke dusted himself off pulling a look of disgust at Levi’s smile.

“Huh Em? Why what do you want with her?” the shut-in looked down at Luke in concern, it was never good news when an angel started poking around you.

“Em..? Oh don’t tell me you’re on good terms with her, you better stay away from her! She’s human! If you hurt her Diavolo will imprison you for a millennia.”

“Ems my best friend why in the hell would I ever hurt her?” Levi grew angry now, how dare this little cherub insinuate such a thing.

“No...no way! You’re lying right? You’re using your demonic powers to trick me, and- and you probably mind controlled her or something! Well it won’t work!” Luke turned heel and ran blindly down the corridor, towards Lucifer's room.

“Oh! Are you one of the brothers?” a soothing, almost melodic voice rang out and a dark skinned handsome man with jet black hair approached Levi. He was wearing a blue gradient cape and mostly white clothing, with a black turtleneck that exposed most of his torso. 

_I mean is there really any point in wearing that thing if you’re going to show yourself off like that..._

“Uhh yeah, I’m Leviathan; but I prefer Levi” he answered with a subconscious hostility to his voice.

The man flashed a heavenly grin “Ah my apologies for Luke, he’s not accustomed to living here just yet. I’m Simeon by the way. It’s a pleasure to make your acquaintance.” He stretched his arm out waiting for a handshake but Levi kept his hands in his pockets and gave him a quick nod of approval.

“Uh yeah...nice to meet you.”

“I must get going or Luke will probably cause trouble... ah! Whilst I’m here, we’re actually inviting everyone on a little camping trip in a few months time; are you interested?” 

“....I’ll pass thanks.” 

“Oh..well that’s a shame, all of your brothers and the human girl have agreed to come, a man named Solomon said he’d come too...”Simeon pouted and looked genuinely upset at Levi’s refusal.

_Ems going?_

"Well...if everyone's going I guess I have no choice I’d probably be roped into it sooner or later.” 

“Oh really! Fantastic, we’re still ironing out the details right now but I’ll let you and your brothers know as soon as everything has been finalized.” Simeon started walking in Luke's direction and gave an enthusiastic wave goodbye. "It was nice to meet you Leviathan!"

 _Dude I just told you I prefer Levi. That was....an experience._ Levi shrugged as he stepped into the kitchen; he ended up making himself a sandwich and carried back a few spare cans of soda, he still had a few hours before Asmodeus would be home.

* * *

“Asmo, it’s me”

“Who’s meeeeee~” a sultry tone sang out, slightly muffled behind the pale pink door.

“...It’s Levi.” 

_If he says Levi who, just walk away..._

“Oh! Levi! Why didn’t you say, I’ll be right there!~” The door swung open and Asmodeus stood smiling up at his lilac haired sibling. “Em told me you wanted to see me, So you’re finally ready to be a man right?” 

“No...I’m here for...some advice. I-it’s n-not what you’re thinking!” he rolled his eyes.

But it was too late, Asmodeus eyes were twinkling with mischief and desire, Levi gulped as he was dragged into his younger brothers room.

The room resembled a flower garden, purple curtains draped around the bed and flowers were hanging from every direction. Levi reluctantly sat down in a pearl coloured chair, it was far too bright in here for someone like him who preferred pastel shades of blue. Asmodeus was wearing a salmon coloured night gown and had a towel wrapped around his head.

“Did you just get out of the bath or something?” he asked as he glanced up and down at his younger brother.

“Huh? Oh! Yeah, I felt dirty after spending time with Em, if you catch my drift~” he giggled and winked at Levi who looked like he wanted to punch him “...Oh Levi you really need to lighten up, I’m kidding! Anyway what’s up?”

“...you know what forget it, you’re just gonna make fun of me if I tell you” 

“Eh?!....it scares me to see you so serious y’know” Asmo recoiled in shock as his pink orbs went almost white, Leviathan was never usually so down about things; and was always quick to argue back. The caramel haired demon grabbed his brothers hand and sat down on the arm of his chair. “I promise, cross my heart and hope to die that I won’t tease you anymore today”

Levi groaned but smiled and thanked his brother. “I...I want to be better”

“Better how? At what?”

“Everything. I want to start working out but I don’t know where to start. I was also thinking of getting a haircut but I don’t know what would suit me.... And then my clothes; I need new ones.” He sighed. "I want to be cool..like Henry!"

Asmo raised his eyebrows and digested the facts; his brother was actually asking for self improvement help, the avatar of envy was here in his room asking for his help. If he hadn’t just promised to be serious he would’ve burst out laughing at the irony. He stood up and paced up and down, thinking to himself.

“Well...I can’t help with the working out thing; Beel is probably your best bet for that. As far as the hair goes... I actually like your hairstyle’ you have a serious case of five-head so bangs suit your face shape. For your clothes.... Yeah I think you need to throw most of your stuff out. It’s too.....generic? Like your anime tshirts. You’re 3..4000? for Michaels sake, I actually think you’d suit the grunge aesthetic quite well...think like how Solomon dresses, now he is sexy!”

“Y-you think?” Levi decided he’d ignore the five head remark for now...and the sexy remark. _Like Solomon....so leather jackets? Plain business shirts? Ugh but I LIKE my anime tshirts_. “I’m not sure I’d feel comfortable wearing things like that.”

“Well you’ll never know unless you try~ But can I ask you something?”

“...depends.” he narrowed his eyes in suspicion.

Asmo bit his tongue dancing around the words to choose that wouldn't anger his selectively short tempered brother. “Is...this girl related? Ah before you yell at me, I’m NOT teasing, I’m asking you as your brother.”

“....N-no, it’s not. And don’t ask me that again.” Asmo scratched his lip hiding a smile behind the action, he had gotten his answer with that defensive reply, he laughed and played innocent. 

“Okey dokey, I was just checking!”

“Anyway w-why would you think something like that? Can’t I just want to change my style just because?” 

“Well it's just something a guy in love would say is all! You know someone that wants to change so the girl he likes notices him; my ex boyfriend actually changed himself before we started dating...oh and my ex girlfriend before him! She was worse for it though; she got plastic surgery. changed her clothes and even her taste in music!”

“...Okay? W-well I don’t have those sort of feelings for anyone so it’s irrelevant. I just got sick of my look is all.`` The tsundere was at max in the purple haired demon now, he was so quick to retort when the subject of love was brought up.

“Well here’s my last piece of advice...girl related or not, you shouldn’t try to change yourself. Just accept yourself and be a better version of you. A better version doesn’t mean you have to change anything about yourself; just work on your weaknesses and make them into strengths...and stop taking us seriously when we tease you...we all love you and you should know that.” He sucked the inside of his cheek and gave Levi a quick hug, Levi took sometime before he responded.

“...thanks...for the advice.” Levi averted his gaze, a little dazed about coming here in the first place and slightly embarrassed.

“It’s okay! That’s what I’m here for!~ But can I ask one more thing?~

Levi narrowed his amber eyes, he had a feeling he knew the subject Asmodeus was about to press.“As long as it isn’t love related or anything like that yes.”

“....its love related”

The purple haired sibling rolled his eyes and slouched. “Ugh. _fine_.What?”

Asmodeus tread very lightly with his wording, the last thing he wanted to do was send Levi into a tantrum. “We heard about what happened between you and Mammon at the movie night and I just wanted to ask, are you sure you don’t want us to arrange...something? I mean I couldn’t imagine going thousands of years without-”

“Asmo I’m going to stop you right there. No. it’s fine, I’ve gotten used to the feeling.” Levi sighed in defeat. “I don’t think someone like me is worthy of those sorts of emotions honestly; and even if I did meet someone I liked they’d probably prefer you or the others over me, I mean look at you all...you’re just all..better versions. No-one wants to date someone like me, let alone sleep with me once.” he felt his voice wavering.

“Levi... you need to stop putting yourself down! The thing I’ve noticed over the many _many_ years, is that you always give up before you even start trying. I remember those model thingies you bought a few years ago; you wanted to paint them and sell them...you gave up after a week because your painting skills were..well awful. And then I think 30? years ago, you quit your job at Akuzon because you got reprimanded ONCE for not being quick enough...you need to stop being so scared of everything, life doesn’t just work perfectly like in your animé or whatever; you need to make things happen or you’re just going to wallow in self pity forever and sink downstream.” he rested his hand on his brothers head. “And have you ever thought about liking someone in that way? I mean they’re just not the right person for you if they’d rather one of us.”

The words rang through Levi’s head and it was like someone had kicked his Raphe nuclei into overdrive as he felt serotonin course through his body. “You know what Asmo....you’re...you’re right. I do give up too easily and it physically pains me to say this but maybe you’re right that animé isn’t realistic...and maybe I do need to think more positively” 

_Oh god it hurts to agree with a normie, but he IS right. In animé they always get the answers handed to them eventually... that's how I’ve been living my existence since we fell; at least when we were Angels I had a job to do, and responsibilities. Lilith made sure of that._

Asmo had a look of surprise on his face, he never thought Levi would actually digest what he’d said and now he looked full of passion and determination, he smiled at his brother and stroked his head. “Then you’d better go see Beel about a workout routine.~”

“O-oh yeah! Okay, I’m going....thanks Asmo, I really mean it this time.” Levi pushed himself off the chair and headed out of the door, giving a quick wave to his brother in the process.

“Make sure you stick to it this time!” Asmodeus called after him, smiling to himself as he closed the door. "Well well well, our Levi is growing up and I know who’s to blame _"~_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Em...your Yoosung is showing :( 
> 
> Raphe nuclei - the part of your brain that produces serotonin! ;) the more you know people!
> 
> I had a lot of fun with this chapter and I'm glad I finally got to introduce the angels so it felt natural; my apologies for taking 13 chapters but it was a bit awkward as Levi doesn't attend lessons and in the game you only ever see them in the classroom.


	14. Roommates

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beel destroys the kitchen and part of Ems room after Mammon eats his custard. She is forced to stay with Beel which Levi isn’t happy about. Levi shocks everyone with a new lifestyle change.

Beelzebub took a moment before answering, not quite sure if this was real or some sort of otaku joke he wouldn't get. His gangly, unhealthy shut-in brother had just approached asking to give him fitness tips. He scratched the back of his crimson hair and stammered. “Uhh...ahh.. umm.. “

“What?” the snake eyed demon blushed out of embarrassment, he thought Beel was overreacting about this.

“S-sorry I’m just a little surprised Levi, I’ve been trying to get you to work out with me for years! But okay, if you’re really serious about this then I’ll come up with a routine that suits you; and you’re welcome to use my weights anytime.” he sat down and started writing; grabbing some nearby books from the shelf next to him. “ _The Seven Deadly Sets” and “How to summon a six pack”_ Levi grimaced. “Who the hell thought of these titles LOL” 

“Hey! This guy is actually one of the most famous fitness demons in the Devildom...don’t judge a book by it’s cover.” Beel slammed the offending books in front of his brother and sighed. “Anyway just take it, now I need to ask you a few questions about your lifestyle”

“Okay.” he giggled “You sound like Satan when you’re talking about books”.

“I do? Right first question, how much do you weigh, and don’t lie to me or your routine won’t work.” Beel crossed his arms and scanned Levi up and down. His brother was slightly shorter than him so anywhere between 166 to 201lbs was healthy, but whenever they were around the table at dinner he noticed Levi barely touched his food.

“Uhhh.. promise you won’t tell anyone? I’m...151lbs last time I checked.” Levi turned sheepish, knowing what was coming.

“Ehhh!? Levi you need to eat more, like a lot more. You’re 6’1 right? That’s like...really underweight.” Beel scolded him.

“I’m just never hungry..” 

“But still.. It's a good thing we’re immortal otherwise you’d have gotten seriously ill...next question. How much do you eat per day? Just list the food down; I know the general amount of calories in stuff.”

Levi began listing his short and rather lacking variety of food and Beel winced, lecturing him on the lack of protein, iron and vitamins he was getting and if he wanted to get fit he’d need to eat at least 3,000 calories per day. He ripped off several pieces of paper and produced Levi with a schedule, Levi looked at his brother begrudgingly, he wanted him to do sit ups, push ups, lift weights and start swimming in the lake again.

“Ugh...it’s...it’s so much work.” He was instantly regretting this idea. 

_The only thing that doesn't sound boring as hell is the_ _swimming_...

“How do you think I feel...I have to somehow burn off 10k calories a day.” Beel pouted and patted his stomach. “Anyway I have to go meet Solomon in Hell's Kitchen. You’ll start tomorrow, and I’ll be coming to check up on you.... I want you to stick with this bro.” 

Levi sighed, the schedule was a 5am start and lasted two hours, with desk exercises throughout the day.

 _Ugh this better be worth it._ _It's a good thing I don't really sleep much._ He crumpled the paper and shoved it in his pocket.

* * *

Mammon: Eh?! @Leviathan you’re kiddin’ right?

Leviathan: ... this is why I didn’t want anyone knowing (¬_¬) 

Leviathans: Thanks @Beelzebub.

Beelzebub: Sorry, it just slipped out :(

Beelzebub: @Mammon you’re proud of our brother right?

Mammon: proud?

Mammon: I guess?

Mammon: We’ll just have to see if he sticks with it.

Beelzebub: I’ll make sure he does. :)

Leviathan: Can we stop talking about me now? I only logged on because I saw the barrage of tags from Mammon.

Leviathan: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Mammon: I’d love to stick around and chat but Em and I have class.

Mammon: Those angels have started snoopin’ around her y’know.

Mammon: I’ve gotta bad feeling...

Leviathan: Yeah I met them the other day, the small dog barked at me LOL 

Leviathan: The tall one...Simeon I think his name is? He’s way too friendly...

Beelzebub: I think he’s nice :( he paid for my lunch

Mammon: Seriously?! He must be rich!

Mammon: Well time to get on his good side >.>

Leviathan: You’re scum. you know that?

Leviathan: AND if we’re talking about grimm. 

Leviathan: YOU STILL HAVEN’T PAID ME BACK! Seriously it’s been weeks now! 

Mammon has gone offline.

Leviathan: ASDFGHJKL I’M GONNA ANNIHILATE HIM.

Beelzebub: Calm down :( 

Beelzebub: And you two just made up.

Leviathan: Made up?! 

Leviathan: He’ll have to rearrange his face when I’m through with him. 

Leviathan: I swear @Mammon just you wait, I’m going to get ripped LOL and rip your head off.

Lucifer has logged on.

Lucifer: Good afternoon.

Lucifer: @Leviathan, shouldn’t you be working on your essay right now?

Lucifer: @Beelzebub, turn your DDD off and get back to class.

Leviathan: Ahh haha well umm... it’s Mammons fault! He was the one spamming me!

Beelzebub: But its boring :( and I’m hungry :(

Lucifer: Well you’ve only got another two hours and then you’re finished for the day. 

Lucifer: Get off your phone before I come down there and have to confiscate it myself.

Leviathan: I’ll talk to you both later then ^^

Leviathan has gone offline.

_Yikes Lucifer, why do you always have to be such a killjoy._

_“_ I wonder if Em is free after class today” he typed at lightning speed and sent a text before getting stuck in to his assignments for the day.

Leviathan: Hey Em, are you free later?

Em: Sure am! Come to my room around 5 :D

* * *

“Ugh.. I just...I just need a minute! Em how are you so good at this!” 

“Haha you look a mess Levi, you know I’m beating you by 1000 points right now!”

“Hey it’s j-just because I don’t know this song so I can’t get the right rhythm, or maybe this stupid controller is broken?” Levi tapped the Zwitch controller in his hand as he doubled over gasping for air. He and Em had been playing Dance Now! for just half an hour but it felt like he’d been playing all day. He watched as Em effortlessly followed the choreography on the screen and laughed when she squealed everytime she nailed a golden move.

She swung from side to side, timing her body correctly to line up with the dancer on screen. “How’s your working out going by the way? Ma-YES TAKE THAT- sorry..Mammon told me all about it!” 

“Of course he did..” he sighed through the exhausted pants. It had been three days since Beel started putting him to work and he felt like his entire body was on fire all the time, but his brother had warned him that might happen and told him to just push through it whilst his body got used to it. Levi’s body would heal much quicker than a human's would anyway. “Yeah it’s going well, it’s hard work though.”

“Well I’m proud of you for even attempting it, I can just about manage an hour on this game I couldn’t imag- UGH- imagine three hours a day.” She wiped the sweat off her brow “Oh no, this bit always gives me trouble…” She twirled with full force but messed up her coordination. Her left foot tripped over the other and she lost her balance sending her backwards.

Levi whipped his head up in an instant “Ah Em! Look out!” he threw his body forward and slipped one hand around her waist and the other cushioned the back of her head so she didn’t bang it against the drawer behind her. Levi’s feet slid on the cold stone floor and he ended up hunched over, his face inches away from hers. His ocean sunsets mixed with her ultramarine forests as they found themselves entranced in each other's eyes. Ems breath held in the air as she stared up at him and Levi’s heart was banging against his ribcage.

_Those eyes...why do I feel so relaxed whenever I look into them._

Ems lip quivered as she was caught by surprise, but she couldn’t tear her eyes away from him either.

_Her lips are small and so pink..they remind me of cherry blossoms from any of those cheesy school shoujo scenes._

_“...._ t-thanks, sorry I...I’ll be more careful” she whispered and released herself with lightning speed from his touch; her face painted crimson; he’d only held her in his arms for seconds but to the pair of them time seemed to stop altogether in that moment. As she composed herself her hair swung and hit the otaku demon in the face and he got the full force of her scent.

 _Cinnamon….she must have changed her shampoo...I..I feel like I’m back in the Celestial realm right now._ His heart was beating so fast out of his chest he would’ve died had that been possible.

“Y-yeah, the last thing we need is you back in the infirmary...hahah” he still hadn’t calmed down, he averted his eyes and looked around the room for some sort of distraction, any distraction. “I’m..I’m kind of worn out from this game, hey let’s watch some One Thing, you still have a few hours to kill before your shift right?”.

Em had started working part time helping out Satans ex girlfriend Abaddon at the local library; Levi had met her a few times when her and his brother were a couple; she matched him in her reserved manner and the two had broken up a few hundred years ago over what would seem the smallest of arguments; Satan said he was over it but would still drop by the library far too often for convenience.

“O-oh yeah! I forgot for a second there… “ she looked down at the floor biting her lip. “Yeah I’ve got time for a few episodes; let's do it!”.

“Okay! Well I’ve got to stop by Majolish for some running shoes...ugh so I’ll walk with you, if that’s ok I mean.”

“That sounds great!” 

The familiar tune of the opening theme echoed throughout the room, Levi and Em were laid back supporting themselves on the wall sharing a blanket; he had subconsciously moved a little further away than usual after Em had reached for the remote but stroked his arm in the process.

 _I can’t get that smell out of my mind._ He found his eyes wandering from the scene on the tv as he traced her figure next to him. Her hair flowed like a night sky endlessly; stopping just above her waist; he moved downwards and observed her pale ivory skin peeking out of her crop top and leggings. Within her first week she’d revealed she was an English-American mix and has always been rather pale. Satan had reassured her after hearing her speak ill of her heritage, and mentioned that in most of his Victorian crime novels the women would purchase beauty products to make themselves look paler; as it was considered beautiful back then. 

The brothers had all laughed of course and mentioned how strange humans could be but right now, as he took in her cream like glow Levi couldn’t help but agree with what his book loving brother had said. Levi himself had paler than usual skin but it was due to living the life of a shut in and not eating enough; his was more a sickly-washed out tone than her porcelain complexion.

“NOOO MAYA CAN’T DIE! Please tell me Zero saves her!” she suddenly whipped her head around and caught Levi staring. “Levi..everything ok?” she tilted her head and bit her lip with a concerned look on her face.

“Huh? Oh!...” It dawned on him he hadn’t really been paying attention to the episode. “Ah..you’ll you’ll have to find out; quick put the next one on”

“...Are you sure you’re okay? You seem like you’ve been in your own world more than usual. Ah! Do you need to recharge?” She moved her head back convinced he had reached his social limit that day but he turned towards her in protest.

“N-no! I’m fine! I just...I’m tired from the dancing and I was dozing off. Yep!. Anyway put the next one on. But first c-can I just use your bathroom for a sec?” he ripped the blanket off him and dragged himself to his feet, not noticing he'd just repeated himself. Em stared after him with a quizzical look on her face.

“O-oh sure!” she pointed to a cupboard looking room in the left corner, he nodded in appreciation as he marched past her; his eyes fixed on the wooden door ahead of him.

He closed the bathroom door and rested over the sink. He felt weird, and not a good weird, he was sweating, his chest hurt and he felt like he was floating. In all the many, _many_ years of his life he had never not paid attention to an animé when it was airing, not even the bad ones because he loved to tear their plot and writing apart on various forums. 

“What is wrong with me! I-I can’t stop thinking about her, t-those eyes.” He mumbled as he felt his heart swelling, he clutched his chest and started gasping for air, convinced it was a panic attack or something. _Just act natural, think of Ruri-chan!_ He exhaled slowly and splashed his face with cool water as he caught sight of his reflection in the mirror, his cheeks were scarlet, he was sweating profusely and his usual slit like pupils were the size of dinner plates.

_Hah, this isn’t good. I think I’m coming down with something serious._

* * *

Em: Hey I’m just checking to see if you’re ok, you left in quite a hurry yesterday T-T 

Em: My shift went well though, Abaddon was really patient with me ^^

Levi stared at the message, he couldn’t bring himself to answer her with his usual speed. Yesterday after he finally came out of the bathroom he excused himself and said he wouldn’t be able to accompany her to the Library after all.

Leviathan: Sorry...I just wasn’t feeling well.

Leviathan: I still feel a bit...off too, so I won’t be able to hang out today either.

Em: D: get well soon! 

Em: Do you want me to bring you anything T_T

Leviathan: Nah it’s fine, thanks though ^^

Leviathan: I’m just going to sleep it off I think.

A few hours passed and Levi’s DDD was non stop dinging, he woke up feeling groggy and reached for his phone to see what all the fuss was about.

Lucifer: So it’s settled. Em will be staying with Beel until we’ve sorted the damages out.

Levi felt bile rising in his throat.

_She's going to be sleeping in the same room as one of my brothers?_

Beel: ...sorry :(

Em: Oh ^^;; are you sure you don’t mind Beel?

Beel: It’s fine with me, I’m just really sorry about what happened... 

Lucifer: I’m not going to lecture the three of you again

Lucifer: But Mammon is mostly to blame so @Mammon I will see to it I give you a suitable punishment.

Leviathan: Hey guys, what’s going on??

Leviathan: Whats Mammon done now lolol

Em: Ugh Levi T_T Mammon talked me into eating Beels custard and Beel got super angry and trashed the kitchen; which unfortunately created a hole in the wall ><

Levi sat up in his bedtub, Ems bedroom wall connected with the kitchen in that side of the house. 

Leviathan: Woah seriously!?? Is your Zwitch ok?

Em: Thankfully the only thing that was damaged was the wall and a few of my posters :( 

Em: Anyway that’s enough about that, @Leviathan are you feeling better now?

Lucifer: You’re ill again Leviathan?

Lucifer: Do I need to lecture you on your health again?

Leviathan: No no I’m fine! 

Leviathan: I’m all good now thanks @Em. Are you ok, it must have been scary seeing Beel full rage mode.

Em: I’m fine thank you ^^ It was scary at first but thankfully Lucifer stepped in and saved us both.

Em: I seriously thought there would be nothing left of Mammon LOL

Leviathan: LOL hey that’s wishful thinking ;)

Mammon has logged on.

Mammon: ....Oi! Don’t talk about me behind my back.

Mammon: Em how could you T_T

Lucifer: Mammon nice of you to join us, you can help pack @Ems stuff and move it to Beelzebubs room. :)

Leviathan: Oooh better do as he says @Mammon, Lucifer using emojis is....scary.

Lucifer: Oh I used the wrong one. 

Lucifer: I was supposed to send this

Lucifer: >:( 

Mammon: Eep! Ok ok I’m comin’ now....

Mammon has gone offline.

Em: I’d better go help too! 

Em: I’m glad you’re feeling better @Leviathan ^^

Leviathan: Thanks :) take care

Em has gone offline.

Lucifer: Hmph. Leviathan you need to take care of yourself more.

Lucifer: I’ll arrange for you to see the doctor some time.

Lucifer has gone offline.

Beelzebub: :( I’ll talk to you later bro.

Beelzebub: I haven’t forgiven you for skipping that work out last night!

Beelzebub has gone offline.

Leviathan has gone offline.

_Ugh, I lied. I still feel really weird. I barely slept again! and when I was working on my game earlier I couldn’t even fix the simplest of bugs._

He looked at his Rurichan body pillow flopped next to him.

“Rurichan...what’s wrong with me lately? Even when I look at you these days I just.. “ _I feel nothing._ “Ugh it’s nothing...don’t look at me like that okay?” He turned the pillow around so it wasn’t facing him. “I’ll be fine...eventually.” he slumped over to his prized pet goldfish and watched him swim around in circles; tracing the pattern of his route with his fingernails.

 _Beep beep_ His DDD started vibrating again. _Ugh what now? Is it Lucifer..._

Asmodeus: Leviiiii are you joining us for the meal tonight?

Leviathan: Yeah some air might do me good tbh.

Asmodeus: Is everything ok?? It’s not like you to say that...

Leviathan: I’m fine! I just feel funny today.

Leviathan: I’ll be down in a few.

He flopped over and stared at the ceiling, his arm covering his eyes. _Time to go face everyone._ After a few minutes he forced his aching body back up and got changed; opting for an orange hoodie he’d bought a few days ago. 

* * *

“Ah you’re here! Oooh that colour looks good on you!” Asmodeus called him over, there was a distinct lack of bodies in the seats around the table as Levi noticed Beel and Ems chairs were unattended to. Mammon looked up at Levi suspiciously “Eh, she’s not with you is she?” he glanced behind his purple haired brother. 

“N-no, I thought you were with her in Beels room?” 

“Well Em left earlier and said she was going for a walk, and then weirdly Beel took off with the same excuse a few minutes later...” the white haired brother scratched his head as he tried to think where they’d have ran off to.

 _Beel and Em left..together?_ The all familiar tingling sensation was back.

“Ooooooh, you don’t think Em and Beel.... no, no way! Ooh hoo this is too good.” the flirtatious brunette started giggling to himself. He was finally getting the love drama he had wanted.

“D-don’t be ridiculous! She would have told me... I think”. Levi looked at Asmodeus bewildered, and maybe there was a hint of fear in his eyes. His heart started thumping again.

Mammon slammed his fist on the table, causing everyone to flinch and turn away from their retrospective actions. “Yeah Levi’s right! Stop shittin’ around Asmo.” 

“I’m sorry! I just thought it was funny... I mean she’s going to be staying in his room with him... then they disappear together, it’d make sense! And I think they’d be cute together!” Asmodeus felt the tension rising and held his hands up innocently, in his mind he thought it all made sense except for the fact that he knew Beel saw Em as more of a little sister like Lilith than a lover. But it didn’t stop him from teasing the idea.

“Must you all be so loud..I swear, everytime I leave my room I’m surrounded by chaos” Satan held his head in his hands and groaned, his brothers were always so noisy and all he ever wanted was peace and quiet. 

“I’ll agree with Satan for once. You all need to calm down and stop insinuating such things; honestly you’re all worse than imps sometimes.” Lucifer closed his eyes in annoyance and combed his fingers through his jet black locks. “Has no-one thought to call either of them?”

“Oh! I’ll try now, be back in a sec” Mammon excused himself and paced over to the window, where the signal was strongest. He held his phone up next to his ear and waited in silence for a few seconds and then ambled back with a strange look on his face. “She didn’t answer and Beel had the nerve to pick up..I heard...breathing, and then he hung up on me!" He threw himself back down on his chair and grabbed a bottle of wine. 

Everyone at the dinner table gave an incredulous look at the white haired demon.

“Ah ah ah brother. I said I’d think of a suitable punishment for you and I think I’ll revoke your drinking rights from you for a while.” Lucifer smacked Mammon's hand away from the wine and snatched it himself, pouring himself a glass as he smirked. If he was going to be making gibberish up like that then perhaps it really was for the best.

_B-breathing? L-like...running. I hope._

_But of course she didn't answer, she hates phone calls, did you forget that?_

_What an idiot._

"Breathing? Oh my...so if they're not just taking a walk somewhere, maybe its possible they are sneaking around. They do hang out in the kitchen alot... Maybe Beel fancied a snack before a full meal~" 

"Asmo will ya knock it off! They're just friends! I'm closer to her than him anyway so if she were gonna fool around then.." Mammon momentarily forgot his tsundere personality as all the brothers stared. "N-nevermind.. Maybe you're right!" 

"Well duh... they do suit eachother, although that height difference is insane. She'd have to stand on a ladder to get a smooch." Asmodeus pressed his lips together in thought. 

The rest of the evening was hell for Levi and Mammon, who both gave each-other worried glances. As two demons with pacts they kept convincing themselves that if Em were in any danger she would’ve summoned them, and if Beel were seeing someone he would've mentioned it.

It was just too good a subject to poke at for the Avatar of Lust who kept bringing it up."If they're not in a secret relationship they might just be experimenting with each other? No need to worry if it's just a casual thing."

"Who said anyone was worrying? If anything I'm just curious as to where they've really gone." Satan folded his arms and glanced at his poor brother, he didn't look happy at all. 

"Asmodeus. That's enough of that kind of talk. Remember what I said, a relationship between human and demon is taboo. Even a casual thing." The oldest sibling made sure to really accentuate his words to get the point across. 

"Well have I got news for you then.." The lustful demon mumbling into his drink. If it were really taboo then he'd broken that law hundreds of times over the years. 

Levi poked his food with a fork and decided he wouldn’t sit around and listen to the prospect of his best friend and his brother being in a secret relationship any longer.

“I’m heading back to my room, see you guys later.” He muttered as he pulled his chair out.

“Eh where are you goin'?! Are ya going to look for them?”

“No. like I said, I’m going back to my room... I’ve got some mining to do in Runequest anyway, and then I have to catch up on Castle of God, oh it’s so good guys they’re in this Castle in the middle of nowhere and they have tasks to do like a battle royal puzzle thing a-” Levi started an otaku ramble but then glanced back down to his siblings.

Everyone groaned and pleaded with their eyes for him to stop talking.

“Yeah I get it...whatever. Goodnight.” He slammed his chair into the table and threw his hood up obscuring his face.

His brothers all watched him skulk away as he kicked a nearby chair. Yep. Levi was in a bad mood.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh we gettin' there now Levi, you're sooooo close boi.
> 
> Another bulky chapter as we start to hit the main plot again, Beels pact is coming up soon ;)


	15. "Acquainted"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot happens. Levi has tea with Satan, Em and Beel are sneaking around behind everyones backs and Levi isn't happy about it. Lucifer calls for room inspections.

The brothers gathered around the breakfast table and stared at Beel and Em with their mouths agape. It had even drawn Lucifers attention.

“Wh-what did you just say?!” Mammon shouted in bewilderment, he couldn't believe what he was hearing right now.

“I’m not hungry...?” Beel pouted and tried to force himself to smile with no avail, he hadn’t always been the best liar. With everyone staring at him like this his stomach was doing somersaults and growling like a rabid dog.  
  
Em nudged him in the side with her elbow and laughed nervously “Ah ha yeah I’m not hungry either.. I’ll just take this back to my- ah I mean our room in case I change my mind.” She started scraping her leftovers into one of the napkins. Levi glared up at the two of them, he’d seen Em nudge his brother like they were hiding...something. He didn’t want to believe what Asmodeus had suggested last night but now the two of them were down right suspicious.

Beel and Em quickly excused themselves and practically ran out of the door carrying two doggy bags. Levi raised an eyebrow and narrowed his eyes, they had way too much food to be saying they weren’t hungry; even as far as leftovers went.

_She would have told me...right? If she liked my brother like that there would’ve been some sort of sign or she would’ve asked me to set them up..? Ugh. Why does this make me so angry? It must be because she’s lying to me, or the fact that she couldn’t trust me enough with her secret relationship....  
  
The two of them always have got along, I just assumed I was the one she trusted the most. I mean she even told me about Nate... _

Nate was another problem Levi had. After reading up on displacement grief he had noticed Em was constantly comparing him to her departed childhood friend. The forum post he’d read flashed back in his mind “the ball is mostly in their court unfortunately” “I had to really reinforce that I wasn’t his cousin”. Levi sighed and then felt a hand on his shoulder.

“You’ve been sighing a lot lately, come with me” To his surprise it was Satan, his usual reserved manner had softened a little as his striking teal gradient eyes had a warmer appearance to them today.

“I’m off to get some work done, Levi is going to be studying with me today, is that okay.. **dearest brother**?” his eyes went cold as he turned towards Lucifer. The oldest sibling smirked as he picked up on the patronising tone.

“Huh? But I was going to play some Ru- I mean I was going to work hard all day, on my PC” Levi forced a smile as he felt Lucifer's crimson eyes narrowing in disappointment.

“Well you can study with me. It’s been too long since we spent some time together; besides you could learn a lot today.” Satan gestured towards the door and flicked his golden hair; ignoring Lucifer's cold hard stare at the two of them.

* * *

“Well sit down...” Satan gestured towards a large purple chair that was surrounded by stacks of books. Satans room was pretty much a library in itself and Levi was always impressed by the collection his brother had accumulated over the years. A black spiral staircase snaked its way around the mountains of knowledge above and all around him.

“Sorry.. I always feel like I’m in Hargwarts when I’m in here” 

“I’ll take that as a compliment.” Satan had the faintest hint of a smile as he gazed over to the collection of books behind his bed. Harrison Porter was one of his favourite franchises and he was as big of a fan as Levi was with TSL, he of course would never admit it.

“So..you wanted to see me?”

“I just wanted to know if everything was alright, you’ve been distracted for quite sometime. More than usual.” his book loving brother grabbed two ornate tea cups and set one down next to Levi; he grabbed a kettle and started pouring whilst listening intently.

“I....you don’t think Beel and Em are actually dating do you?” Levi absently grabbed the teacup and held it, drumming his fingers on the side of the cup. Satan looked irritated, those cups were expensive.

“Oh, is that what’s been troubling you?” Satans eyebrows raised slightly and his pupils shrank in surprise. “If you want my honest opinion I don’t think so....if I’m really honest here I thought you and her were a couple”.

_A c-couple?! Me and Em?!_

Levi spat his tea out. ” w-w-w-why would you think that?!” 

Satan sighed and grabbed a napkin, dabbing himself and his chair in silence. Levi apologized and wiped his own jacket. “S-sorry.. You just caught me by surprise”.

“It’s fine.” It was not fine, Satan had a remarkably short temper and as the Avatar of Wrath he was not someone you wanted to be on the bad side of. “I just noticed how close you two are, she talks about you all the time when she’s here.” he remarked and then paused. “She talks about another man too, but only in past tense; a friend from the human realm?”

Levi froze, it wasn’t really his business to tell Satan about Nate; unless she had already confided in Satan about him herself. He decided to focus on the lesser subject. “ O-oh she does?” _I hope she says good things about me_ “Ah yeah, she talks about her human friends quite a bit to me” he hoped Satan wouldn’t press the topic.

Satan scratched his chin. “She doesn’t talk about herself a lot to me, another reason I thought you and her were... acquainted.” 

“Acquainted” LOL you talk like an old man sometimes, which is funny because you’re younger than me”. Levi air quoted and laughed innocently, hoping to draw attention away from himself.

“Don’t try to change the subject here... I’m curious about you two. You’ve changed a lot since her arrival you know?” the blonde remarked.

Levi leaned forward, full of curiosity. “Huh h-how?” 

“Well you seem to talk about your Rurichan a lot less and you seem happy- happier than I’ve ever seen you actually...it’s nice to see.” Satan flashed a smile. “I’m quite envious of you both, you always seem to be laughing and joking around now that she’s gotten over her social anxiety.” 

“Well I wouldn’t say she’s cured, she still can’t stand crowded places; haven’t you noticed how uncomfortable she gets when we’re all having dinner?” 

“Huh I didn’t actually... hmmm so you’ve been paying close attention to her...I see” Satan picked up his tea and took a few sips, smiling behind the cup.

“Oi don’t make me sound so creepy! I spend a lot of time with her so I just happen to notice these things alright?” Levi flushed and grabbed his cup, throwing his head back as he gulped the remainder of the drink. 

Satan frowned as Levi brought the cup back down on the table. “Levi can you please be careful with my cups? They are antiques.” a slight raise of his voice made Levi flinch.

“Ah sorry!” he looked at his brother with fear in his eyes, hoping he hadn't gone past the point of no return.

The short tempered sibling growled before shaking it off.“Honestly you’re so heavy handed... ah speaking of that; hows the exercise?” 

“It’s going okay..how do you stay in shape by the way Satan?”

“Me? I like long walks on my way to the Library, sometimes I’ll wake up early and take a stroll around the Devildom before class.” Satan chuckled, glad that the anger within him had cooled.  
  
Levi grimaced at the thought of leaving the comfort of the House, he only really left in emergencies such as food runs, concerts and game or anime releases. And he’d stopped attending concerts when he realized there was never anyone to go with to share his hobbies. 

When it came down to it, Levi was rather lonely. He had six brothers but none of them shared the same interests as him, he was always spending time by himself or with online strangers before Em came to the academy, it was crazy how quickly his life had changed. A warm smile spread across Levi’s face and Satan smirked.

“What’s got you so happy?” 

“I was just thinking about Em” he felt Satan's eyes on him. “A-ah I mean how much Em has changed everyone, and me. I always used to be scared of leaving my room but since she arrived I’m hardly there now, I’m even falling behind on my anime which is a serious problem!”

“I wouldn’t say it’s a problem... you’re finally opening up to someone, and she shares your passions; that’s a wonderful thing in itself.” Satan looked down at his empty cup with a slight frown. “You’re very lucky...”

“Huh what makes you say that?” 

“....It’s nothing. I just wish I could meet someone who shares the same interests as me.” Satan snapped his head up as he felt his pocket vibrating; he swiped his DDD out and smiled. “Speak of the devil, look who it is.”

Em: Hey Satan! I was just wondering if you’ve got another recommendation for me, I finished the book you gave me and I cried a river T_T 

Levi smiled fondly at the message. “What did you recommend?”

“More tragic love stories, I think it was called “A vice in our stars” she’s got quite the appetite for the modern stuff” Satan tapped a quick reply to Em and stood up, stroking the spines of a row of nearby books before landing on one in particular. “Levi are you interested in reading?”

_A Vice in our Stars? I’ll have to look that up._

“Of course, I read loads of manga!”

“No, I mean proper books, novels.” the bookworm facepalmed and corrected his brother.

“Ah not really...I’m not against normie things like that I just like manga too much, it’s more my speed.”

“I see” Satan sighed dejectedly as he retracted his hand from the shelf. “Nevermind then!” 

The two continued to chat back and forth for the rest of the morning and Satan soon turned strict, lecturing Levi on his grammar and his handwriting. Levi sighed and complained that he used his PC for everything now so his handwriting had suffered since the invention of technology.

This time Levi’s pocket was the one to buzz and he read a message that sent chills down his spine.

Lucifer: Diavolo has asked to arrange a surprise inspection

Lucifer: I will be checking in with each of you shortly

Lucifer: Surprise.

Lucifer: :)

Satan read the message on his own DDD and laughed “Well I have nothing to hide, but I’m sure our high and mighty brother will find something to moan about” he exhaled “and I wanted a peaceful afternoon..”

Levi laughed nervously. “I don’t have anything to hide either... I don’t think.” 

_Yeah, no I’m a dead man. My room is a mess right now and because of Beels stupid exercise routine I’ve not had any time to clean up..I have to get back like, stat._

“You look worried hahah” Satan laughed and winked. “I’m guessing you need to get going. Go ahead, it’s been nice to see you though.” 

“Oh and Levi? I wouldn’t worry about Em and Beel, there’s probably nothing going on between them”. He raised his cup as Levi ran out of the room.

* * *

“Leviathan it’s me.” a deep deceptive voice rang out behind the door after a few curt knocks.

 _Oh crap I didn’t think he’d be here so soon_. Levi had made it back to his room in the nick of time, Lucifer was cruel and hadn’t told which of the brothers he’d be visiting first, but that didn’t stop them from all texting each other who had been inspected and who was still waiting. He grabbed his DDD and messaged his brothers at lightning speed, privately of course or Lucifer would have brought the house down quite literally on their heads.

“Luciiiiiiii, high five!” he threw his arm up. "Don't leave me hangin'!"

Lucifer glanced up at Levi’s extended arm in the air and smirked. “Mmm yes, well are you going to let me in or not?”

“Ahh yeah of course!” Levi pulled a face behind his brother as he marched inside his humble abode. He had done the best with the time he had but he knew he hadn’t passed the inspection when Lucifer chuckled, wiping the shelves and table with his finger. 

“Do you see this Leviathan?”

Levi pretended to squint and acted aloof. “...your finger?”

“The dust on my finger. Honestly, do we have to do this everytime.” Lucifer planted his face in his hand and sighed. “I really don't have the time to lecture you this evening so I’ll let you off with a little warning. If your room is like this by the next inspection I will be taking something precious from you.” he glanced towards the Ruri-chan pillows as he made his way to the door. “Now if you’ll excuse me I have to go pay a visit to Beelzebub and Em; they’ve been acting rather strange as of late.” 

“Oh...okay”

_That was quick, I assumed he’d be here for hours like last time.._

_Well I’m not complaining._

Levi gave his brother a toothy grin and waved him off, his ear leant on the door as he heard his older brother's footsteps hurrying towards Beels room. 

“Well now that that’s over with it’s time to catch up on my shows!” he dusted his hands off and smirked, his attention drawn to under his bedtub. He’d stashed a bunch of trash under there seconds before Lucifer announced his presence and due to his brother's rushed visit he hadn’t seemed to notice.

“Hehe I can be true to my demonic nature sometime” he chuckled to himself and plonked himself down at his desk, opening Runequest.

* * *

Levi clenched the soda in his hand and squeezed it tightly, causing it to spill out over the top. Em and Beel hadn’t attended breakfast again. He grabbed some small weights and started lifting them aggressively; drowning himself with music from his headphones.

_Where the hell are they? Why hasn’t she been texting me as much?_

His strength had already vastly improved even without his demonic form active, and he was starting to see the faintest signs of abs again, even his pale skin had a little more colour to it. He counted to 25 and then set the weights down on the stand near his shelves. “Hah finally all done... now I can relax”

He had just reached halfway through the last episode of Bathroom Bound - Hanaka-kun when he heard hushed voices outside of his room. One was a feminine tone he recognized all too well and the others sounded like his brothers. He immediately grabbed the remote and pressed mute, creeping towards his door and grabbing a glass.

He leaned the glass against the door and put his ear towards it. “So you’re looking for something, are you? What are you two whispering about?”

_Huh that’s Satans voice._

“I don’t know what you mean. We’re not whispering”. 

_Yeah no duh Beel I could hear your “whispering” over my show!_

“Oh yes you are. And you’d better tell me the truth or I might have to go tell Lucifer about this.”

“.....We’re looking for a dog named Luke.”

_Heh, why would that little creature be here in the house of Lamentation? The angels stay in Purgatory Hall._

“So, you really are hiding a dog in your room then...I did think it was awfully strange that you and Em didn’t finish your breakfast. Everyone else thought you and Em were having...relations behind our backs.”

Levi heard Em trying to stifle a laugh “That’s ridiculous Satan. Beels my friend, there’s nothing between us like that”.

_Ooof, big f for Beel there. But hearing that makes me strangely relieved.._

“I see, I thought as much” Satan sighed behind the door. “I won’t say anything to Lucifer about this, but after you've had your fun with your dog, you need to get rid of it. This is no place for that particular...breed.” Levi heard Satans voice getting more distant as footsteps continued to grow quieter.

_He must have left, I wonder if they’re all go-_

“We’d better find Luke fast.”

“If someone else finds him, we’re sooo dead” Em said in a hushed voice and two sets of footsteps trailed off into the opposite direction as Satan.

 _What the hell is going on here... hmmm I’d better follow them._ Levi grabbed his hoodie and threw it on, carefully closing the door behind him and sneaking down the corridor where he think he heard Em and Beel go.

They were nowhere in sight but it only took a few more seconds of walking and then he heard his brothers deep voice around the corner of the wall. “It’s strange that we haven’t found him even after searching all this time”

“Yeah the only place we haven’t looked is..that tower and Lucifers room.” Em winced.

“Hah I wouldn’t even risk it, Em.”

Levi hid behind one of the large dragon statues at the top of the staircase as he watched the two snoop around the area.

“We definitely hid him in the closet. I know we did” Beels voice was wavering now as he started to worry.

“It’ll be okay, we’ll find him” Em placed her hand on Beels arm and he looked down at her smiling.   
  
“Thanks, Em. He must be somewhere in the house; we’ll search all night if we have to!”

Levi felt that itch once more as her hand stroked his brother's arm in reassurance, he hadn’t realized he’d crumbled the foot of the dragon statue he had his grip on.

_Does she touch all of my brothers this way?_

_Don’t smile at her like that!_

He glared daggers at the back of Beels head as he watched them make their way towards the entrance, stopping just next to the model dollhouse of the building. They were mumbling something about morning stars dwelt in the heavens and riddles and felt himself freeze when they muttered the name “Lilith”. 

And then....they were gone. There was a flash of white light in front of Levi and the two disappeared before his eyes.

_Em?! Beel?!_

_What....where...where are they?_

* * *

Ems POV. 

“I...I know this place” Beel stood next to me, his eyes wide with shock. We were engulfed into a blinding white light and the next thing I knew we were inside a dusty room with old paintings on the wall.

“This is...Liliths room from back up in the Celestial Realm....what’s it doing here? Beels voice grew quiet and I could hear sadness, I looked up at his face and his eyes were already tearing up at the memories of his sister.

“Beel...” I grabbed his hand and squeezed it once more. “I....I’d like you to tell me more about her. The truth is I lost someone too”

“Huh you did? I’m so sorry Em..” Beel stared down at me with a pitiful expression. I felt a bit awkward as the silence grew so I decided I’d go first.

“I had a friend in the human realm...growing up. His name was Nate” I proceeded to tell him about my beloved Nate, who had left me far too soon. Beel listened intently to me, his eyes tearing up even more as I finished my story.

“Oh...Em...I’m..I don’t know what to say, c’mere” he pulled me into a tight embrace and I practically felt my bones being crushed. If this wasn’t such a serious moment I would have laughed or cried out in pain, I remember Levi warning me about Beels strength.

He kept me locked in the embrace as he cleared his throat trying to hide the cracks in his voice. “Lilith was our baby sister and she died, in the great celestial war a long time ago. Has Levi or one of the others told you about the war?”

“No...he hasn’t mentioned anything, and the others don’t talk about their past too much.”  
  
“My brothers and I were originally angels. That was back before the Celestial war anyway. Before we were cast out.” Beel sighed and I could hear his heart racing, this must have been so hard for him to tell me “Lucifer was the one to incite a revolution against our father, and we aligned ourselves with him. Those who followed our father fought against those who followed our brother, this was the war. In the end, our father crushed our rebellion like a fly, and cast us out of the Celestial Realm.”

I felt hot tears running down my shoulder as Beel crushed me even more into the hug “During the battle, my sister Liliths wing was pierced by an arrow. Both Belphie and I saw it. It happened right in front of our eyes... she fell down out of the heavens and....died.” he was sobbing into my neck now, I moved my hair out of the way incase it was suffocating him and cradled him.

“Just before Lilith was shot, I saw angels from the opposing side draw their bows and aim at both her and Belphie..I couldn’t save them both...I tried..I wanted to! But the three of us were too far apart and I knew I had to make a decision to save one or the other. Then suddenly Belphies eyes met mine, and I saw so much fear in my twins eyes it was like magic, I rushed over to him and shielded him from the attack, taking the blow myself.” he struggled for breath in between his sobs, I just stayed silent; when Levi was there for me he had just listened and held me and that’s all I could’ve asked for back then, it was only fair to treat Beel the same in this moment, he had to let it all out.

My cheeks flushed as I thought about Levi and what he was doing whilst I was stuck in this unknown room embraced by his brother; it was selfish of me to be thinking about him whilst his Beel needed comforting but I just couldn’t help it for some strange reason.

“I couldn’t save her Em, she died! And..and it was _my_ fault!”

“...You did nothing wrong Beel, you’re not superman, you can’t be in two places at once.”

“But no-one saw how Lilth looked at me as she fell, how she looked at me when I rushed over to Belphie and not her! The look of **despair** in her eyes... Belphie has never come out and said it but I know, I KNOW he blames me for not saving Lilith, like he wanted me to save her instead of him.....Em what would you have done?”

“...” As I was about to answer him we heard a familiar tune.

“...Your DDD is ringing, here...you should answer”. He grabbed my phone out of my pocket and passed it to me, pushing me away out of the hug. Normally I wouldn't have answered it but this had to be urgent for someone to be calling me, I'd warned the brothers on the first week of my stay that I wasn't good with phone calls.

Trembling, I pushed the call button and held the DDD up to my ear, the icy cold glass of the screen caused me to flinch slightly.

“HEY! EM... WHERE ARE YA!?” It was Mammon, sounding breathless and panicked which in turn made me more so. “Something seriously bad is about to happen here! Get your butt down to the underground tomb now! Hurry!”

“Mammon calm down, tell me what's happening?” I could hear loud crashing noises and screams in the background, making me worry even more.

“That DOG is down here and Lucifer is about to kill him, he’s gone crazy!” before I could say anything I heard the DDD crackle as he hung up.

“The dog, does that mean Luke?” Beel had composed himself the best he could whilst I was on the phone to Mammon. “Come on, we’d better get down there pronto.”

We exited back through the strange portal, and for a second I could’ve sworn I saw a blur of purple wandering the corridors ahead of us. Beel led me down to the tomb at a record pace and the crashing noises began to get louder.

We almost bumped into Mammon as we turned the corner, he was sweating profusely and looked terrified. “Lucifer, come on! Calm down will ya! He’s just a little lost dog that's all, there’s no need to go revealin’ your true form over something like this!”

 _His true form...oh no._ I was about to come face to face with the demon brother I feared the most in one of the worst moods I’d seen him in so far. I couldn’t help but grab the back of Beels shirt as my anxiety flared up, my knees started to tremble and I felt my recently found confidence start to slip back away. Beel looked at me with concern but smiled, patting my head. He held me close and told me he’d protect me. 

“I-I’ll have you know that I-I’ll report you to Michael the archangel, one of the g-g-greatest-" a small, but familiar voice whimpered.

“ **Luke, that book you’ve got in your hand”** Lucifer stood infront of us, four black wings sprouted out of his back, and two large black ram like horns were growing from his skull, everything about this man screamed power. “ **_Do you realize what that is_ ** **?** **_”_ **Even his voice had changed with the demon form, it was more menacing and echoed throughout the tomb, breaking several urns whenever he opened his mouth.

Luke was hiding behind a large coffin, he looked positively terrified and rightfully so. “Y-you mean this?... I found it a minute ago, the sculpture on the stone coffin here was holding it..” his voice was trembling and he had tears in his eyes, I felt terrible for him but I was also glad Lucifers anger wasn’t directed towards me.

“I know that book...that’s a grimoire.” Beel gasped in front of me, he held his arms out shielding me from any debris caused by Lucifer's power, Mammon was cowering behind a nearby pillar but looked like he was at war with himself over his cowardice.

I tugged Beels shirt trying to get his attention “What’s a grimoire?”

“It’s a book of magic, several of them exist. Actually there’s one installed on your DDD too Em. “Nightmare” is actually a grimoire, but it’s nothing more than a trial version. It can temporarily borrow a demons power. The grimoire Luke is holding has the power to control a demon to make him do any bidding, even if it’s in violation of a pact. Everything we are rides on that book! We can never allow it to be stolen under any circumstances. I didn’t realize Lucifer was hiding it here...” 

“Oi! Beel, this is no time to be standing around chatterin’ away, get with the program and protect Em!” 

“What I don’t understand though is how you even got here dog?” Beel had a good point, how the hell did the little angel boy end up in this place.

“Huh? I-I don’t know, the last thing I remember is being in Beelzebubs room and then I ended up here somehow I-”

Lucifers eyes darkened to black voids, the crimson pupils became fiery pits as he ingested the truth. “ **Wait. Beelzebubs room...? Did I hear that correctly? Did you just say the words BEELZEBUB'S ROOM?”** the ground shook behind our feet and I thought the entire building was about to collapse.

“ **BEELZEBUB! Were you hiding that angel in your room!? And you too Em.. YOU DARE LIE TO ME!”** I felt my life flashing before my eyes as Lucifers demonic presence grew ever stronger and just as I had accepted my fate I felt my body move forward as I stepped in front of everyone, splaying my arms out in protection.

“ **OUT OF THE WAY, HUMAN OR DO YOU WANT TO DIE HERE?!”** The powerful demon looked outraged, glaring at me like a bug he'd stepped on.

I stood my ground, it was the most selfish decision I’d ever had but I wanted to save my friends, I had been ready to die for a long time. 

“ **If you’re so willing to die for your friends you have to pick one. Beelzebub or Luke. Make your choice.”**

As if I could ever choose to save one life over another, the choice didn't even have to reach my brain before I found myself screeching at the top of my lungs. "I want to save both of them!”

“ **YOU CAN’T CHOOSE BOTH, YOU INSOLENT FOOL. PREPARE TO DIE!”** The oldest sibling screamed with not a hint of mercy or hesitance in the tone and unleashed a powerful looking blast of energy at me. From the corner of my eye I caught a glimpse of Beel, Luke and Mammon all looking at me in horror, but none of them would be able to reach me in time. But that's okay, I saved them, all of them as my last good deed, they'll move on and forget me in a few years anyway.

The blood red bolt was approaching me at such a velocity I could already feel my skin being singed by it, the smell of burning flesh hit my nose and I clenched my teeth in silent agony as the heat of a thousand suns started to melt into me.

_This is it....it's finally time._

I closed my eyes ready to accept my death; tears streaming down my face, but then I heard a low familiar voice calling out.

" **Lucifer, stop!"** the voice sounded urgent and amongst the panic and surge of memories I couldn't concentrate on it's owner.

My vision started to fade and I suddenly felt my body being launched across the room, waiting for the impact that never seemed to come and then finally everything went black.

_Goodbye, Levi._

_You made my last days in this world so full of joy..._

* * *

“Em...hey...wake up!"

 _Wait isn't that Beels voice? What is he doing in the afterlife?_  
  
Using all of my remaining strength I peeled my eyes open and was greeted by Beelzebub smiling down at me looking anxious.“Oh thank Mephisto you’re okay!”

“Beel..huh..” I glanced around the room as I regained consciousness, we were back in our bedroom. “How did...”

_How did I survive?_

“Shhhh, just stay still....phew, it’s a good thing Lord Diavolo turned up, I seriously thought you were a goner.” his face grew hard for a moment. “Em why would you do something so reckless! It was so dangerous...but thank you...but still!”

“I’m...I’m sorry, I just...I wanted to save you all; and...” my voice was hoarse and unrecognizeable, I must have lost it from yelling in the tomb.

_I’m glad I didn’t die, I don’t think I’m ready just yet...but what is it that makes me want to stick around longer?_

“It’s okay, you’re okay...but just so you never do something like that again, you’re making a pact with me. I’m stronger than my other brothers..well apart from Lucifer; so if you need someone strong to protect you; I’ll be there in a flash.” 

“Beel..you don’t have to make a-” Beel pushed me back down on the bed as I began to lift myself up, every bone in my body ached; had the blast done much damage? Were my limbs still attached? How did Diavolo of all demons know we were down there?

I shook my head, still feeling a little out of sorts. The crimson haired brother had his amethyst eyes fixated on me, his face was a mixture of concern and relief. Looking down at my arms and legs confirmed I had at the very least survived, no scorch marks, there wasn't a scratch on me and the scent of burning flesh had all but disappeared and been replaced with the familiar odour of Beels citrus scented cologne. Someone must have used magic to heal me.

“Ah ah. I told you to rest.” he said sternly, holding me down gently but forcefully. "We'll make the pact in the morning after you've had some sleep."

It looks like I’m going to be helping Belphegor after all, even though he lied to me.

I should sneak up there again when I've recovered and make sure he's okay, we didn't exactly end things on a good note.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a biiiiiig chapter omg, so much plot happened.  
> I originally ended on a cliff hanger when Beel and Em disappear into Liliths room but I decided to just keep it going.


	16. Denial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Leviathan has a shocking revelation.
> 
> A lot of angst and denial in this chapter, have fun ~

Last night Em had disappeared into a blinding light and Levi spent most of the evening scouring the house for her and his brother. He was just about to give up when he had heard a DDD ringing from inside the wall near him, but there was no door to be found. 

_What the hell? Is it me?_ He reached into his pocket and checked his phone, no sign of a missed call or any messages. Then he heard Mammons voice screaming.

“HEY! EM... WHERE ARE YA!?“Something seriously bad is about to happen here! Get your butt down to the underground tomb now! Hurry!”

“Mammon calm down, tell me what's happening?” Ems voice was muffled but Levi could just about make it out as he pressed his ear towards the source of the voices.

“That DOG is down here and Lucifer is about to kill him, he’s gone crazy!”.

_Mammon...why would you send Em to Lucifer in that sort of rage!? Shit, shit ,shit I've gotta get down there, now._

He didn't even need to hear the rest of the conversation, Levi ran as fast as his legs could carry him, determined to make it to the tomb before the human girl walked into that mess.

He'd just turned the corner, the steps leading down to the tomb were just out of reach when...

SMACK

The otaku smacked into something large, his first initial reaction was Beelzebub but upon looking up he realized the silhouette was even taller than his behemoth brother.“Leviathan? What’s the hurry!” It was Lord Diavolo. Levi panted, his heart raced; he had to get past the demon prince as soon as possible, before Em...

_I can’t let anything happen to her!_

Diavolo looked at the panicking state of Levi, and eyed him suspiciously, he knew he would never get the truth out of him willingly. He smiled down at the otaku and suddenly unleashed his demonic power, twisted gilded horns sprouted out of his now even more fiery coloured hair and his golden eyes became brighter and more intimidating as his tone matched that which was expected of demon royalty. “ **Tell me what’s wrong, no joking around. What’s got you in this state.”**

Levi felt his body freeze, and his mouth started to move without him telling it to “I heard Mammon tell Em and Beel to get down to the underground tomb, Lucifer is going to kill Luke and I must save her.” 

“ **Save her** **?”** the demon prince momentarily spoke in his usual softer tone.

 **“** I need you to move out of the way so I can protect her. I refuse to let anything bad happen to her." Levi had no control of himself and said the first thing that came into his mind, things only his subconscious would ever utter out loud. Diavolo smiled down at him, appreciating the care that the demon brothers seemed to have for the girl; it had been a good decision to place her with them after all.

He snapped his attention back to the violet haired demon and widened his eyes, casting a small memory spell on him.

 **"Return** **to your room now, Leviathan forget this conversation ever happened.”**

* * *

Levi woke up the next morning with his tail wrapped around him, he felt hungover which was odd because he hadn’t remembered drinking alcohol. Infact he couldn’t remember any events from the previous night except...

_Em! Beel! They disappeared in front of me!_

He grabbed his phone and couldn’t log on to the chatroom app quick enough. He felt waves of relief wash over him as he saw the pair of them were online, but no-one had said a word except Asmodeus and Satan.

**The House of Lamentation (7)**

Satan: Ah @Leviathan you’re awake.

Satan: Isn’t it weird how quiet everyone is this morning  
  
Asmodeus: @Em @Beelzebub 

Asmodeus: ...oooh maybe I was right? 

Asmodeus: about them being... ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

Leviathan: Where is everyone?

Leviathan: @Asmodeus stop, @Mammon is missing too

Asmodeus: And I’m not judging the three of them at all ;)

Leviathan: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

Em: ┬──┬ ノ( ゜-゜ノ)

Satan: Em! There you are.

Satan: Well we’re glad someone is responding.

Em: Morning guys...

Leviathan: Em are you okay??

Em: I’m fine.

“You don’t sound fine...”

Mammon has entered the chat room.

Beel has entered the chat room.

Asmodeus: oooh you’re all back, now we’re just missing Lucifer.

Satan: wait...don’t tell me.

Satan: Are you three in trouble for something?

Em: ...I’m not allowed to say anything sorry guys :(

Beelzebub: Same here :(

Mammon: Me too :(

Lucifer has joined the chatroom.

Asmodeus: Well speak of the devil! Hehe~

Lucifer: @Em @Beelzebub @Mammon

Leviathan: @Em are you up for some One Thing later?

Lucifer: my office, now.

Lucifer has left the chatroom.

Asmodeus: Levi wants one thing from Em ;)

Em has left the chatroom.

Mammon has left the chatroom.

Beelzebub has left the chatroom.

Leviathan: ...Em?

Satan: Oh dear.

Asmodeus: Oh dear indeed...

Leviathan has left the chatroom.

Levi clutched his DDD and stared down at Ems contact number, he had only ever called her once when they first exchanged numbers; she had a bit of anxiety about phone calls so he opted for texting and face to face conversations with her. But as he stared at those last few messages he felt dread creeping up inside him, was she being sent back to the human realm; had she been expelled? What of his brothers, were they being exiled?

It felt like an eternity waiting for any sign of them and as he was grabbing his jacket off the hanger he heard three loud knocks on his door.

“Levi, it’s me. We need to talk.” Levi swung the door open and didn’t even greet his brother, he dragged him inside with full force.

“Beel, what the hell! Are you okay? Is Em okay? Is Mammon okay? Are you being exiled? Is Em expelled?” Levi's word vomit and rambling softened Beels tense expression albiet temporarily and he chuckled.

“Woah woah, no-ones exiled, Em’s staying here as far as I know. I’m okay, Mammons okay, Ems okay. That’s..not why I’m here.”

“Oh...oh well that’s a relief, I got really worried. Lucifer sounded furious.”

“I’m not allowed to mention anything about that.” Beel took a seat on Levi’s sofa and twiddled his thumbs awkwardly. “I...made a pact with Em this morning.”

“O-oh? Is that why you’re here?” 

The atmosphere grew tense and the silence was deafening as Beel kept struggling to speak. Levi started to grow anxious.

“...."

"L...." he sighed and decided to just go for it. "Levi. Why did you tell Em that to seal a pact you have to kiss the demon on the cheek?”

_Oh shit. Well...I saw this coming one day, he’s here to tell me Ems furious with me isn’t he._

“I-i-i...I...” Levi couldn’t find the words, there were no excuses.

“....I didn’t tell her if that’s what you’re worried about. I wouldn’t betray my bro like that...but...” Beel closed his eyes in anticipation for the next part; he had been fretting about this all morning.

“Wait. if you didn’t tell her then...”

“Yeah. I let her kiss me....only...ugh...” The glutton winced.

“...yeah?” Levi began to grow concerned.

“I..I turned my head too fast ..and....we ended up kissing...on the lips.” Beels face grew hot and his cheeks turned a light shade of pink. “It was just a peck!”

"...what?" The purple haired demon whispered, surely he'd heard his brother wrong.

"We kissed. on the lips.... heh, awkward right?" he looked away bashfully.

Levi felt his world come crashing down, a deep pit where his heart used to be. He fell down into a black void; and then all he saw was red. 

“You... **what**....” his voice came out sounding animalistic and primal. Beel turned to face a furious looking Levi; amethyst like scales trailed down his neck, curled obsidian coral-like horns were beginning to poke out of his lilac hair and his tail lashed out, whipping the air violently.

“Woah! Levi! Calm down!”

But Levi wasn’t listening, his aura grew stronger and Beel began to fear, not for his life but the room around him, he’d never hear the end of it if Levi ended up smashing any of his four computer screens, or god forbid the Aquarium he had spent years saving for.

“Levi... **CONTROL YOURSELF!** ” Beel unleashed his own demon form, insectoid wings sprang out of his back, large horns now on his own head. He leapt at his brother and tackled him to the ground, holding him down with his arms. Levi’s eyes started to glow as built up power threatened to release and Beel did the only thing he knew would stop him. He punched his brother in the face, knocking him out cold.

“I’m sorry..I had no choice.” it would be at least a few hours before he woke up.

* * *

When Levi came to, Beel was lying on his sofa staring up at the ceiling. “Oh..you’re awake. How do you feel”

“...weak”

“Levi, you seriously lost control back there... I..I’ve got to ask you something.”

“What?” Levi gritted his teeth and rubbed his tender cheek.

“Do you have feelings for Em?”

“W-w-w-w-w-w-” 

“You know, you’ve been asleep for awhile, so I had some time to think about how you reacted... you got so angry, not when I mentioned the fact you lied to Em; but the fact that we kissed on the lips.. and I've noticed that you've been pissed off ever since it was decided Em would room with me."

Levi said nothing, his face turned a shade of red that colour theorists wouldn’t have even been able to name. You could have cut the tension in the air with a knife as Beel locked eyes with his brother.

“.....”

“Levi?”

“....”

“ Levi...it was just a meaningless kiss, it meant nothing, I'm not into her; she's more like a little sister and she even sai-" Beel was rambling now, he could sense the demonic presence yet again. 

“Get out.”

“Huh?”

“I said **get out. now.”**

“L-levi..your demon p-” 

“ **DIDN’T YOU HEAR ME? I SAID GET.OUT.”** Levi grabbed his brother by the neck and pushed him against the shelf, his animé figurines came flying off but he was too focused on his brother at the moment.

“Ack-ugh- L-levi, you’re choking me” Beel struggled to grab his brother's arms; Levi had grown so much stronger due to the exercise recently; and this jealous rage just seemed to fan the flames of power inside him. 

**“If you’re not out of my sight in five seconds I will crush you, annihilate you, obliterate you into a thousand pieces.”** he suddenly let go of Beel and closed his eyes, refusing to answer the burning question in his mind.

_“Do you have feelings for Em”_

Beel saw his chance and he took it, he staggered back out of Levi’s reach, not even attempting to reason with his brother and he got the hell out of there. 

Even as his bedroom door slammed at full force behind him Leviathan just stood there, frozen in place as his anger dissipated. His mind was having a full on meltdown right now.

_Feelings? What does that mean? What sort of feelings?_

_Would it explain why I feel so weird when I see her? When she messages me, my heart swells. When I see her laughing with my brothers and touching them...my heart...hurts... and when she’s sad...I....I want to hold her in my arms._

_Why did I tell her to kiss me on the cheek that time..why did I lean in for a kiss? Was it just because I wanted to mess with her...or was it....no, don’t be silly. Those sort of things only happen in animé._

_Why can’t I tear myself away from her eyes when she looks at me_

_When we’re watching animé together or playing games, I feel so...warm._

He stepped back and tripped, falling over a Ruri-chan figurine.

_Why is she the first thing I think about when I wake up...and the last thing before I go to sleep...I dream about her every night even though I see her everyday.._

_I miss her so much when she’s not around.._

He grabbed the figurine and looked deeply at it, his lip started to quiver as his thoughts overwhelmed him.

_Why don’t I feel anything when I look at you anymore, Ruri-chan._

“ _Well it's just something a guy in love would say is all! You know someone that wants to change so the girl he likes notices him_ ” Asmodeus’ words screamed in his mind.

“...Why...what i...s wrong...... with.... me” he finally broke down, and started sobbing uncontrollably as he knelt there on the floor, surrounded by his figurines and scorch marks on the patterned tile floor.

* * *

**You have 3 new messages.**

Em: Hey, I’m so sorry for earlier! 

Em: Yeah I’d really love some One thing right now, Lucifer scared the shit out of me with that lecture ^^

Em:....Levi?

Levi lay in a heap on the floor with his head buried in his hands, his eyes red raw from crying and his throat was swollen from screaming. He had seen the messages but couldn’t bring himself to talk to her right now. He knew he couldn’t ignore her forever, and that’s what scared him the most.

After hours of just lying there he dragged himself up and crawled into his bedtub; taking note of his appearance in the aquarium's reflection; he looked an absolute mess; the bags under his eyes had bags of their own and his face looked gaunt.

He eyed his laptop in the corner of the bedtub and snatched it, placing it on his lap as he curled up to his body pillow for comfort.

Opening Ooogle gave him an idea, he was always prone to looking things up when he didn’t understand them; Satan had said in the past it was one of the easiest ways to educate yourself.

His fingers trembled as he typed the first things that came to mind “My heart hurts when I think of a girl” “having feelings for someone: define” “heart beats faster when with girl” “dreaming of girl” “girl kissing someone else”

He opened tab, after tab, after tab. Inputting anything related to how he felt when he was with Em, Levi read just about every article that he could find.

His eyes grew wide in horror as he read the articles.

** Seven signs of falling in love **

**You can’t stop staring at them.**

**You feel like you're high.**

**You always think about them.**

**You want them to be happy.**

**You've been stressed lately.**

**You want to improve yourself for them.**

**You're willing to try new things.**

In complete denial and desperation he switched to the readit.com tab, he’d ended up venting how he felt on a subforum; the replies weren’t very supportive but they hit the nail on the head.

_“You’re not sick dude, you’re in love. It’s quite cute actually how he talks about this girl. Too wholesome for the internet.”_

_“OP needs to get out more.”_

_“He sounds like a little kid...this has to be bait right? If it’s not then I agree with everyone else; dude’s in love.”_

_“According to OPs post history he watches a shit tonne of anime LOL, would have thought a weeb who watched shoujo trash would’ve clicked on as soon as she smiled at him. Downvoted for wasting my time”_

_“Sounds more like a crush, sleep with her and if you still want to be there in the morning then yeah thats love lololol”_

“No....no...I...I can't...” he croaked out and his whole body started trembling. “This...this can’t happen to me! It just can’t! ....no!”  
  
He had pushed every trace of acknowledgement deep down for weeks now, but after being outright asked and reading countless articles on the subject, he was no longer able to ignore or deny it.

He was in love with Em.

He downvoted all of the posts and then slammed the laptop shut, forcing his eyes closed as he drifted back off to sleep.

**You have 9 new messages**.

Beelzebub: Hey...I hope you’re okay.

Beelzebub: I’m really sorry for what happened yesterday, I didn’t mean to upset you.

* * *

Em: Beel told me you had a fight..is everything okay?

Em: Levi...

Em: @Leviathan

Em: I’m getting worried about you..

Em: good morning...are you still angry?

Em: @Leviathan.

Em: I’m on my way.

* * *

The forlorn demon was woken up by a light tapping sound from his door, he glanced at his DDD. He’d slept for quite some time, it was the next morning.

“Levi...it’s me...Em.” he heard a pause. “I don’t know what happened between you and Beel...he won’t tell me but I’m really worried about you.”

He went wide eyed as he heard her voice, the one sound he wanted to hear the most but at the same time he dreaded it right now. Subconsciously he dragged himself towards the door; his strength still sapped from his demonic outburst and probably all of the crying.

Stopping himself just before he reached for the handle, he turned and leaned against the door; blocking himself from opening it.

_Please...go away...I can’t..I can’t face you right now._

“....I’ll sit out here all night if I have to...I know you’re there; you’re sitting against the other side of the door, right?”

Levi crumpled himself tighter into his knees and sighed.

_How does she know..._

“I heard that!" she exclaimed. "I really don’t want to have to summon you by force to talk to me..but if you don’t talk to me soon I-I'll reconsider.”

_Please don’t...I’m not in control of my powers or myself right now...I don’t want to hurt you._

“Levi...please...open the door” her voice started to crack and waver, Levi looked downright terrified as he stared up at the ceiling, wishing for her to give up. "You're scaring me..." she whispered just loud enough for him to hear.

_No...don’t cry Em...if you cry I’ll want to open this door.... I can’t even open my mouth right now, I don’t have the strength to face you... Please, just give up on me, go back to your room._

His heart ached after every voice crack she made, betraying his wishes; it yearned for him to open the door and tell her he was okay, he was just...confused and scared out of his mind right now.

* * *

Em had kept her word that day and she had sat against the opposite of the door, just waiting for him to say something to her. Alas, after some time she was found by a panic stricken Beel who told her to come back to the room, telling her Levi was dangerous right now and needed some space.

That was one week ago. 

Everyone had grown more concerned as the week stretched on, the following day after the big fight Beel had sent dozens of texts to his brother.

Beelzebub: Levi, you’re not okay are you?

Beelzebub: please, talk to me.

Beelzebub: :(

Levi however, remained silent. He turned his DDD off and took the battery out; shoving it in a nearby drawer and opened the Runequest icon on his PC. The only solace he sought out now was to drown himself in what he knew; his games, his animé and his waifu.

_I’ll be fine if I just concentrate on anything else other than her right now._

_It would never work out between a demon and a human anyway, the ridiculous age gap....maybe it would work in animé not in reality._

_I have to push past this stupid feeling, the forums said it might just be infatuation._

His fingers slammed against the keyboard as he played his game; slaying everything in sight; from monsters, to villagers, even chickens couldn’t escape his bloodthirsty rampage. 

_This is what I am...I’m a monster._

_I don’t deserve her._

_But, what am I saying? She wouldn’t like me back anyway, even if somehow the age gap didn’t matter..she’d never feel the same. I’m just a replacement for Nate._

As the days passed his thoughts had only grown darker.

_Maybe if I stop talking to her altogether these feelings will go away; I can be my old self again. If she’d never have come to R.A.D I could’ve stayed the same._

_No-one would ever love a worthless otaku like me anyway._

By the fourth day he had had countless visits from all of his brothers; even Lucifer had attempted to coax him out of his room. Solomon had knocked a few times, concerned about his friend. But Em had dropped by the most, slipping small notes under the door.

_“Levi,_

_In the end I couldn’t bring myself to forcefully summon you, I still don’t know what happened and I know you need to be alone right now, just don’t forget to eat okay?_

_We’re all worried sick about you, and I know you’re immortal but please, look after yourself._

_I’m here for you when you’re ready to talk._

_Em”_

His heart had practically leapt out of it’s chest hearing her voice calling out to him again, but no, he wasn’t ready yet. He didn’t read any more of the letters she left and instead crumpled them and threw them in his trash can. 

* * *

By the seventh day Levi grew more and more irritable, he’d been living off whatever was left in his minifridge; completely ignoring his exercise routine and sleep schedule, he stormed around his room and gritted his teeth in frustration. 

_Another dream about her...ugh it’s been days; GET OUT OF MY HEAD._

_Maybe its safe to check my messages again.  
_

_Just ignore her._

He sighed and reached into his draw, grabbing the hidden battery; turned his DDD back on and grimaced as a slough of messages, missed call notifications and tags greeted him. There were hundreds of notifications, and he deleted them all.

Leviathan has entered the chatroom.

Em: !!!?! 

Asmodeus: Levi! We’ve been so worried!

Mammon: LEVI GET YOUR ASS OUTTA YOUR ROOM AND TALK TO US.

Satan: long time no see

Lucifer: Leviathan, I trust you’ll have your assignment finished by the end of the day?

Lucifer: I don’t particularly care about your little tantrum with Beelzebub the other day, but if you start missing out on your work I will tear down that door. Do I make myself clear?

Lucifer: I have to go let Diavolo know our brother is infact alive. @Em you're behind on your work too.

Lucifer has left the chatroom.

Em: ...Levi.

Em: Say something.

Em: T_T 

Beelzebub: @Leviathan, did you get my messages?

Mammon: @Leviathan Em has been out of her mind worryin’ about you.

Mammon: I hope you’re proud of the attention you’ve got.

Asmodeus: I don’t think he’s doing it for the attention, that’s not our Levi~

Asmodeus: @Leviathan, my door is always open okay?

Satan: @Leviathan why aren’t you saying anything?

Beelzebub: :(

He stared down in shock and embarrassment at the instant explosion of messages, as soon as he had logged on everyone was tagging him and talking about him.

_Okay, you can do this. Just...just act natural._

Leviathan: sup

_Ugh, I want to die._

Em: :O he spoke!

Satan: “sup?” you’ve been silent for days, and this is how you greet us?

Asmodeus: ...everything okay?

Mammon: WHAT THE HELL HAVE YA BEEN DOING ALL WEEK

Mammon: Ugh, I bet he just locked himself in his room because a new animé show came out

Mammon: don’tcha guys remember the last time this happened, that superhero kid thing came out and we didn’t hear from him in days.

Leviathan: Your Hero Academia

Mammon: My Hero wha-

Leviathan: It’s called Your Hero Academia. And actually I decided to rewatch it.

Leviathan: Not “superhero kid thing” though I wouldn’t expect a normie like you to understand.

Em: LOL you tell him Levi!

Satan: So we were worried for nothing...

Satan: Honestly Levi...

Satan: Well I’m glad you’re back to normal and nothing is seriously wrong.

_Okay this is good, they all think I’ve been in bingefest. I can keep this up easily._

Em: @Leviathan can I come see you?

Em: you have no idea how lonely I’ve been without my favourite gaming buddy ^^

Mammon: Oi! Em how can you say that when I’m right here

Em: But Mammon you don’t like games :(

Mammon: Hey that’s not true, I played that one...the driving game with the shells.

Em: Bario Kart....yeah you did, and I kicked your ass :D

He frowned down at the tagged message. _I can’t avoid her forever dammit. Well not forever...just until the year is up._ He felt his heart droop as he remembered her time here was limited. 

_I guess these feelings are useless anyway, even if they do stick around..she’s still going to leave me._

Leviathan: @Em, I’ll let you know when I’m free.

Em: o-oh okay then! 

Em: Take care of yourself...

Asmodeus: is it just me or is the atmosphere a little

Satan: Awkward?

Satan: Yeah I get the feeling somethings up.

Leviathan: Nothings wrong okay! I’m just tired from watching Re:Start. LOLOLOL

Satan: I thought you said you’ve been re-watching “Your Hero Academia”?

Satan: >_>

Asmodeus: That's an awful lotta lols~

Leviathan: Ah sorry yeah that’s what I meant!

Leviathan: Anyway I’m gonna go, like I said.

Leviathan: I'm tired.

Leviathan has left the chatroom.

Beelzebub: :( @Em you okay?

Mammon: Call me stupid or whatever but it’s a bit weird he forgot the name of the anime

Mammon: That he claims hes been watchin’ all week

Satan: And he didn’t ramble on about the plot like he usually does

Em: I’m really worried about him, you guys :\

Asmodeus: I feel like he's being off with Em too.

Asmodeus: I smell drama ~

Beelzebub: It’s all my fault you guys...

Satan: Is this something to do with the falling out you two had?

Asmodeus: Yeah fess up! What happened.

Beelzebub: I don’t think I should.

Mammon: Well why bring it up then? 

Mammon: He’s just being petty. Classic Levi...

Em: Mammon stop it, you’ve been worried about him too. >:( 

Asmodeus: Ooooh Mammon you’ve pissed Em off, how exciting ~

Asmodeus: Em I’d love to see you make all kinds of faces <3

Em: I’m gonna go too :/

Em has left the chatroom.

Levi gripped his DDD tightly, how could he have slipped up and been so stupid. Of course they’d notice little things like that with his behaviour; he’d known his brothers for thousands of years after all.  
 _  
Fantastic.  
  
What the hell am I supposed to do.?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Levi? Do you wanna watch some animé  
> Come on, let's go and play!  
> I never see you anymore  
> Come out the door  
> It's like you've gone away :')
> 
> We used to be best buddies  
> And now we're not  
> I wish you would tell me why!
> 
> Do you wanna watch some animé?  
> It doesn't have to be animé
> 
> Go away Em!  
> Ok bye...
> 
> In all seriousness I've been looking forward to this chapter since I started writing this story and my poor sweet baby boi; I'm so sorry for the hurt I'm putting you through.
> 
> Levi would definitely deny his feelings this badly, and he's the type to just keep searching for the answer he wants to hear! I hope you like this chapter, I cried a LOT whilst writing it :')


	17. Ruri-chan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi continues to push himself away from everything, everything except Ruri-chan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive Levi for being a huge baka in this chapter. The Tsundere has raised it's ugly head.

“I have a Parcel from Akuzon for a Mr. ehhh - Leviathan?”

Levi leaned on his door, opening it just a half inch as the Akuzon delivery demon smiled at him. He held out a device and a pen for Levi to sign, looking rather nervously at the bloodshot yellow eyes piercing through the door at him.

“..Thats me.” he almost didn’t recognize his voice, it was hoarse and scratchy; well it had been over a week since he last uttered a word to anyone. His normally light and fluffy indigo purple hair was greasy and his bangs looked unkempt. He sighed and snaked one hand out of the door, his eyes darting around the corridor in case anyone saw him as he signed his name for his parcel. 

“Thank you sir.” The delivery demon bowed and couldn’t get out of there quick enough. His first week in the job and he had to come to the seven demon brothers' home; they were as intimidating as he imagined; if a little sloppy looking.

Levi slammed his door shut and made sure the lock was on as he ripped into the box. His tired, cold dead eyes suddenly lit up.

_MY RURI CHAN DATING SIM GAME! I completely forgot it was out now! Well I guess I won’t be leaving my room for awhile._

He couldn’t get the game installed quick enough and sat surrounded by pillows and figurines. During the week he had dragged every bit of Waifu merch in his room to his bed; so he felt closer to her and more comfortable. His knees trembled with excitement as the loading screen appeared and he heard Ruri-chans sweet as apple pie Japanese voice.

The young woman popped up onto the screen, fluttering her purple eyes at him “Kon'nichiwa” 

_Oh my god her voice is so cute!_ He forced himself to think this, running on pure nostalgia.

Levi spent hours on the game; he laughed, cried and smiled warmly whenever the character on screen spoke to “Levia-chan”.

_“Levia-chan my heart feels funny when I’m with you, what does this mean?”_

_“Levia-chan maybe I....no-no it’s nothing”_

His dreamy smile soon turned into solemn frown as he recounted his mass Ooogle a week ago; Ruri-chan was asking all of the same questions he had.

  
 _Have I really not left my room for over a week?_ He paused the game and looked around at the condition of his living space. His shelves were still damaged; shards of wood chipped off from his scuffle with his brother, his trash can overflowed with junk food wrappers and empty soda cans, the notes from Em were scrawled up and littered around his floor. 

He looked back at the game, at his waifu; he just felt hollow. But he was determined to feel _something_ for her again so he could get rid of these useless feelings for a certain human who he did not want to think about, he unpaused the game and carried on playing; choosing the cringiest and cheesiest dialogue possible.

_I don’t need anyone but you Ruri-chan, you’ll never leave me for my brothers, you’ll never die and we’ll watch the universe grow old together. Maybe we’ll even have little demon babies when you get back from the human realm again...that’d be nice._

All of a sudden he heard buzzing coming from his desk, his DDD was vibrating furiously. He sighed and grabbed it; ready to delete any notifications again. 

**You have 4 new messages.**

Em: Hey....

Em: I know you’re still working through things but I sincerely hope you enjoy your ruri-chan game; I saw the delivery demon through the window of our classroom earlier and I thought of you. lol.

Em: Everyone misses you.

Em: I miss you. :(

His face suddenly felt wet and he quickly snapped his head back to the game, wiping his tears with his sleeve. On the screen Ruri laughed and blushed as he chose to feed her takoyaki.

“Say ahhh Ruri-chan” he laughed forcibly, transfixed on the screen. Abandoning any feelings of loneliness or yearning. 

_Ruri-chan is all I need._

_I love Ruri-chan._

_I don’t love you. I love Ruri-chan._

_She is the reason my heart aches right now._

_Not you._

* * *

**Private chat between: Mammon, Satan, Asmodeus, Beelzebub, Em and Lucifer.**

Mammon: Has Levi seriously still not come out of that hole?

Satan: It would seem so..

Asmodeus: @Lucifer didn’t you say you were going to break down his door?

Asmodeus: @Em why don’t you just summon him?? 

Asmodeus: You have a pact with him right, you can just teleport him out of there.

Em: I don’t want to force him to do anything :(

Em: I think he’d hate me if I did that, Levi seems....fragile right now.

Satan: Fragile...he’s completely broken.

Satan: I’m worried he’s projecting 

Em: Projecting?

Satan: Yes. 

Satan: Psychological projection is a defense mechanism in which the human, or in Levi’s case - demon ego defends itself against unconscious impulses or qualities by denying their existence in themselves while attributing them to others.

Em: I’m ...uhh...I’m not dumb I swear but..?

Satan: Basically, Levi is having a hard time dealing with something and he is projecting those emotions onto something else.

Em: ...you mean Ruri-chan don’t you?

Em: I know she’s his waifu but the way he’s been talking in the chatroom is...scary.

Asmodeus: He’s downright delusional hun :(

Asmodeus: I'm just thankful he's talking about the grown up version of her

Em: What do you mean? O.o

Asmodeus: Ugh hasn't he spieled it out yet? Ruri was a demon and lost her powers to go to the human realm or something, in doing so she reverted back to a teenager.

Em: Ohhh I see, tbh Levi doesn't really talk about her much around me

Em: We're always too busy playing games or he's telling me about Henry ^^

Em: At least...we were.

Asmodeus: Has @Beel still not said anything?

Beelzebub: ...I told you guys, I can’t.

Beelzebub: It’s my fault he’s like this and I don’t want to betray him.

Em: I’m worried sick about him.... What the hell has he been eating, has he even been eating? Can demons starve to death?

Mammon: Oi! Calm down Em..he’ll..he’ll be fine eventually.

Lucifer: We can’t starve to death, but not eating can cause a great deal of pain.

Lucifer: In the worst case scenario we get very sick and require a special serum to restore our demon powers.

Lucifer: Our demon essence is what keeps us immortal.

Lucifer: It is very hard to kill us but it’s not actually impossible.

Lucifer: It’s why we eat, sleep and drink like humans do; we still have to take care of ourselves to a certain extent. Even though we heal much faster than humans.

* * *

Ems POV. 

I sighed and flung my phone on the bed, falling back from the force as my head hit the cushion.

It had been 12 days since I’d last seen Levi, I missed him more than words could describe and I was so worried about him. 

If I had known this was coming I would’ve bashed that damned door down when I had the chance. I know I could summon him with just a few words but I was scared, scared that it was me he didn’t want to talk to anymore.

He had messaged me that morning but I wasn’t able to respond straight away, Lucifer had invited me to the music room to talk in private and apologized for almost killing me...which is morbidly hilarious right? But then he mentioned me going to the attic and I froze; it hit me that I hadn't visited Belphegor since agreeing to help him; I really should take him some food or something. Lucifer brought up the pacts and said he didn’t mind his brothers making them with me as long as they consented to it; I felt myself blush, thinking back to the day I boldly sat on Levi's lap and kissed him on the cheek. I still don't know why I did it.  
  
Lucifer then continued on to say he was the only demon that can freely enter the attic and that a spell on the stone stairs ensures it, but because I’m a human I was able to get past the barrier.

I just laughed nervously when he remarked that there was nothing of interest up those stairs, I darted my eyes around the room, my attention drawn to the huge black piano in the corner behind us. He must have noticed my attention drift because he smirked and turned towards it; stating he played beautifully and he would be happy to play for me sometime. 

I hadn’t meant to spend so much time with the oldest and scariest brother that day but I wanted to remain on his good side, so I kept his company whilst he harped on about the origin of music and how he used to visit opera houses and concerts in the human realm when he had less work to do in R.A.D.

After he had noticed how long he’d kept me there, he apologized and told me I could leave. I ran straight back to our room where Beel was waiting for me, looking horrified, he was pale, sweating and I’m certain I saw claw marks on his neck. All he said when I asked him was that he'd had a falling out with Levi. He didn’t speak after that and pretended to go to sleep, he still hasn’t told us what happened, just “we had a misunderstanding” and that “it’s his fault”; I don’t know what he’s talking about but it must have really upset Levi to get him in this state.

The day Beel and I made our pact...ugh I’m cringing thinking about it, I had leant in to kiss his cheek to seal the deal and Beel turned around to say something; and then our lips met. 

It felt weird and just downright wrong. Beels lips tasted of burger grease and salt. As I pulled away my heart dropped in my chest and I saw yellow eyes in my mind....Levi...why would I think of him at that moment?

I noticed I had started thinking of him at the most random times, a few days before the pact with Beel I was in work and Solomon decided to drop by; he always visited me on my shifts which was very kind of him. As we were discussing TSL and other novels we enjoyed, Solomon lost his footing and knocked an entire bookcase down; I laughed so hard as I helped him clean the mess up and the way he smiled back at me acting all innocent reminded me of Levi. Abaddon was furious with us and started lecturing Solomon about paying attention and then berated me for not keeping a calm, quiet manner in a library of all places.

But now when I go to work I don’t say anything, no joking or laughing with Solomon; even though he still comes to visit to keep me company, I think he’s worried about Levi too. Abaddon called me into her office the other day and asked if everything was okay; I just broke down and told her about Levi and how he’s not come out of that room in weeks, I poured my heart out to her and luckily she seemed understanding and told me that it sounded like my friend just needed time. Solomon heard me crying and asked to cover my shift for me so I could come back to the House and be alone.

I don’t want to be alone. I want to see Leviathan. He went completely silent on all of us for a week, I called him countless times; my heart had been in my mouth at the thought of him actually picking up....I’m terrible with phone calls and they set off my anxiety still; but if it meant hearing his voice again I could’ve pushed through.

Unfortunately he never answered. Every call, message and mention didn’t get through to him. Asmodeus, Satan and Mammon all invited me out to the Devildom the day before Levi came back online after a week of silence. We talked about what could’ve possibly happened, well I did.. Asmodeus and Satan were awfully quiet when I listed out things that might’ve happened...especially after they found out about the pact between Beel and I. I’m still mortified about that... we had an awkward conversation after the kiss about how we felt about each other, I’ve always thought of Beel as an older brother and thankfully he said he saw me as a little sister. It helped erase some of the tension between us but...ugh some demons overheard us talking about it outside of the classroom and spread the rumor around that we were dating. 

Thank God for Mammon. He was furious when I told him about the rumours and he very quickly put a stop to it, although I’m not quite sure how. He just said he’d “take care of it” and by the next day everyone was giving me a wide berth again. I really hope he didn’t threaten anyone, I know they’re demons so it’s in their nature but...I don’t like violence.

* * *

I’m starting to lose my mind with worry about him. He’s been coming onto the main chat room and just spouting things about him having a girlfriend; everyone had a heart attack when he initially said it, and I felt odd, but luckily he had just been talking about Ruri-chan. He started going on about marrying her, having little demon babies (which confused me because I wasn’t sure demons could procreate; although that would explain the need for condoms.) Everyone keeps telling him to come out and talk to us but whenever we mention any subject other than his waifu he just completely shuts down or logs off.

I feel like he’s slipping away from me, I don’t want to lose my best friend. 

Tears started streaming down my face as I remembered all of our happy memories together, his wonderful laugh is so contagious, and the way his voice breaks when he’s rambling on about animé and games...

I can’t stop hearing his voice in my mind; is it because I’m scared I’ll forget it?

I...I can’t remember Nates voice anymore, whenever I try I hear Levi’s instead. I’m so sorry Nate, I promised I’d never forget you; I swore I’d always love you.

_Why can’t I remember your voice?_

End of Ems POV. 

* * *

The screen flashed as bold golden letters covered it “ **ROUTE COMPLETED** ”. Levi sighed contentedly, he had finally completed every single route in the game and had just finished the secret harem ending where he had married all 8 versions of Ruri-chan. 

His stomach growled and gurgled, causing him a great deal of discomfort. He hadn’t eaten anything in two days, his minifridge was empty and he was still terrified of leaving his room. He had of course put an express delivery of groceries in on Akuzon but it seemed like they were out of stock right now. 

_Just push past it, food isn’t necessary for a demon._

The growling got worse as the hours dragged on and he started to feel dull aches, he winced in pain and shut his eyes; breathing in and out rapidly.

_Relax, It won’t kill me, nothing can._

His DDD started ringing, it was a phone call. He pulled a confused expression as he opened his eyes;

**Incoming call from: Mammon.**

“Yo, you finally picked up!” he ignored the sheer joy in his greedy brothers tone.

Levi tried his best to hide the pain he was in “Heh..yeah it’s me. What’s up?”

“What’s up? Dude seriously...you’re so damn stubborn you know that.”

“I’m going to hang up if you’re just going to....insult...me” The pains were getting worse, and Levi felt a dizziness wash over him.

“Oi you don’t sound so good....are you okay?”

“I’m...fi-ARGH” 

“Levi?!”

Levi felt his vision blurring, the pain in his stomach exploded, like daggers stabbing him in the abdomen and he dropped to the ground, slamming his head on his tiled floor.

Mammon heard the thud and the lack of response terrified him, he hung up the phone and sped out of class, down to Diavolo’s office and started bashing on the door urgently.

“Oi! Lord Diavolo!” he was frantic, the thought his brother could be in serious trouble sent shivers down his spine, the door to Diavolo’s office swung open and Mammon was met with two irritated looking golden eyes.

Diavolo kept his calm exterior but had a hint of contempt in his voice “Mammon...what’s all the ruckus? I was just filing some reports.”

“Lord Diavolo, it’s Levi... I think he’s in trouble”

“What? What sort of trouble? Lucifer told me he was fine and was just...self isolating?” he grew concerned now, if a student was in danger the elders of the Devildom would have his head; along with his father the Demon King.

“I don’t think he’s been eating..or sleeping...” At these words Diavolo went wide eyed, as far as he could recall Leviathan had been in his room for almost two weeks, if he hadn’t been eating for all of that time then it spelled trouble.

“Barbatos! Grab the serum” the green haired demon butler appeared seemingly out of nowhere carrying a large black medical kit; he handed it to Diavolo who stormed out of the office and made his way to the House.

* * *

“Levi....!”  
“Leviathan?”  
“OI LEVI”

_Huh, where- where am I?_

Levi opened his eyes and saw nothing but white all around him, was he back in the Celestial Realm? Had all the years he had spent as a demon been some sort of twisted dream? 

_There’s no way I would have dreamt up all of that...and someone so.._

Sensing his thoughts drifting to his human friend he snapped his head down from the ceiling, and stared at the cream coloured sheets wrapped around him; he wasn’t in his own bed, this one was white and wasn't a bathtub and the room around him smelled medical and almost...metallic. Grey blobs surrounded him and he heard a beeping noise behind him, his right arm had a needle poking out of it and a long tube ran down the side of the bed and hooked up to a nearby machine.

Colourful blotches surrounded his peripheral vision and slowly the colours merged into people. He was met with huge green and blue eyes gazing down at him; it was Em and she looked sick with worry; she had huge dark circles under her eyes, her raven black hair didn’t fall as gracefully he remembered it, it looked like it lacked life and it was more akin to rapids than an endless stream. 

_She's lost weight..._

“You’re in the infirmary Leviathan, just try not to move around too much whilst the serum takes effect.”

 _Wait I know that_ voice... _.Diavolo?_

“Oh....thank god you’re okay” Em threw her arms around Levi, tears fell down her face in relief for him, and just the fact she saw his face infront of hers again sent her over the edge. She didn’t care if it was embarrassing; she had been so worried about him and she hadn’t seen her friend for weeks.

She was just about to get a bath when she had heard her door practically being bashed down by the demon brothers; Mammon had been the one to break the news to her that Diavolo had broken into Leviathans room and found him curled up on the floor unconscious and sweating profusely.

As she embraced her friend tightly she heard him growl. His heart had started racing at the sight of her, the scent of her shampoo and the touch of her warm silky skin sent electricity through his body.

_No. I can’t let her touch me or those feelings will come back._

_But shes...crying..._

_I..I'm so sorry about this, Em._

Levi shot her a cold look and pushed her off him. Em stared at him in confusion with a pained expression. He refused to meet her gaze as he coughed weakly and his eyes darted around the room; eventually landing on Lord Diavolo who was looking at him with a mix of concern and relief.

“Oi Em that’s blasphemy here...you have to say thank Mephisto” Mammon retorted but kept his teal coloured eyes on his otaku brother, he couldn’t help but take note of how malnourished and pale he looked. He’d definitely lost weight, and his eyes told him he hadn’t been sleeping much; if at all.

“Leviathan, how are you feeling? You gave us all quite a scare, but don’t worry I administered the serum and you should be fine, but I cannot stress this enough. You have to eat, and in your case you should be eating a lot more. The test results here show you used your demonic powers twice in one day and then didn’t consume more than 200 calories per day for the past-” he paused and checked his notes “12.”

_Did I hear that right...I was in my room for twelve days?_

_Twelve days without seeing her...No..no.. don't even think about her._

_Forget her._

_She's just a worthless human._

“What do the demonic powers have to do with it?” Em stared at him in horror “Levi why haven’t you been eating...”

Levi said nothing and continued focusing on Diavolo.

_Don't even look at her._

“Think of demonic powers like a workout Em, if you workout you burn calories right? Well demonic powers put quite a bit of stress on our bodies, so Leviathan basically put a lot of stress on himself, not once but twice and then didn’t eat enough to account for all of the damage inside him.” His voice grew stern and strict now. “That’s why you fainted Leviathan, your body just ran out of fuel”.

“....Oh” 

_It makes sense sure._

_I guess I was delusional to think true immortal beings could exist._

_I_ _mean I was foolish right, even Angels can die._

_like Lilith did._

“Oh? OH?! Oi! Is that all you’re gonna say?” Mammon was raising his voice now, he wanted to throttle his stubborn shut in brother for the concern he had caused Em and everyone else for the past few weeks; it hadn’t been easy at all on the human girl and he had slowly seen her confidence ebb away again creating another emotional barrier like when she had first arrived.

“There’s nothing to say.” 

He was about to speak up on Ems behalf but decided against it as she seemed to stiffen up after seeing the animosity that Levi seemed to suddenly have towards her. He was just as baffled as her as he was convinced his purple haired brother had a thing for her, but now he was acting like he couldn’t stand to even be near her. Something was definitely not right with Levi and he’d make sure for Ems’ sake he’d find out sooner or later what transpired 12 days ago.

“Well come now Leviathan, I think you owe your friend and your brothers an apology...” 

“Sorry.” Levi replied in a sarcastic tone.

_I don’t want to single her out...sorry Mammon, everyone. But I have to push you all away, you’ll forgive me after she leaves...right?_

Em flinched again, this wasn’t the Levi she knew; he was acting like a completely different person. 

_He’s acting like Nate._ She had thought, and it was true. Nate was only 15 when he died but he could come across cold, harsh and blunt at the best of times. She had known that wasn’t all there was to him of course, but she seemed to be the only person he ever showed any kindness towards during his short lived life. He hated people, animals. If it wasn’t 2D, it wasn’t worthy in his eyes.

She was interrupted from her thoughts when Levi started to pull himself up. 

“Leviathan, try to take it easy.” Diavolo eyed Ems concerned face and misjudged the atmosphere between the two entirely. “Em, I’m placing you under his care for the next three days, from what I saw of his room he can’t be trusted to be alone right now.”

“O-oi! Why her? Why not me, I’m his brother aint I?” Mammon suddenly stood up straight and shouted in protest towards the Demon Prince.

“Well you’re already looking after Em, plus don’t you think Em and Levi are quite close” Diavolo nodded to himself “Yes, it’ll be a good way to bond more, for the both of them.” he suddenly flashed his eyes open and smirked “Ah, but maybe don’t bond too much okay? ha ha ha!”

Em turned a crimson shade of red and looked at Levi expectantly, he also turned a deep tomato colour but he looked away like he was disgusted at the thought of spending time with her.

_Ugh, Diavolo why are you so set on ruining my life. I had JUST made the decision to stay away from her and everyone dammit._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the demon power thing makes sense! 
> 
> It sort of irked me how the demon brothers kept harping on about being immortal in the game; despite stating their sister died in the Celestial War (I'm currently on Lesson 15 if anyone was wondering). Plus the fact that they seem to sleep, eat, drink and have human emotions I thought it would be fitting to give them a reason to need to keep this up.


	18. What Happened?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Em visits Levi on Diavolo's orders but things don't go as planned.
> 
> More angst <3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Things do get a little..well a little PG13 at the end, I pushed that T rating as far as it could go.

_ Ems POV  
  
I don’t know how much more I can take of this, and it’s only been a day. _

Em sighed, staring up at the iridescent ceiling where various sized Jellyfish ornaments hung from. She was in Leviathan's room, as of yesterday she had been given the job of looking after him and making sure he fully recovered.

Her eyes trailed over to the far end of the navy coloured sofa, Levi was sitting wearing his signature white and black jacket, his headphones protectively around his neck and his arms were folded. A never wavering scowl was plastered on his face as they both watched one of his favourite animé shows. _“Digital Deviance: The Story of an Unemployed Gamer Who made the Perfect In-game Girlfriend...and the Nightmare that ensues when his cousin finds out that it looks just like her”._ His eyes never left that tv screen, and the usual glow he had in those tangerine spheres was gone, replaced with a darker, duller hue.

 _I thought it would brighten the mood up a bit but...he’s sitting so far away from me, and keeps sighing like he’s exhausted but Diavolo said physically he’s fine, why...why are you acting so coldly towards me..Levi?_

Em’s heart dropped whenever she looked his way, it was like she didn’t exist all of a sudden. Any attempt to talk to him or make a joke was either met with complete silence or a few grunts, and when she had arrived and sat down next to him he hadn’t been subtle at all about the fact he didn’t want to be so close to her and got up and moved, shielding the spot next to him with a Ruri-chan pillow.  
  
 _This is ridiculous... Levi what the hell happened with Beel? Why won’t you TALK to me!_

_Did he find out what happened in the tomb? Is that why he's angry with me?_

_Or maybe he just doesn't want to be friends with someone like me anymore..._

Em felt herself getting angry. She didn’t want to lose her temper with him, but right now he was downright infuriating. She felt a lump in her throat forming and gritted her teeth. She had to keep calm, whatever was making Levi act this way was emotional projection is what Satan had told her but it didn’t stop her from burning a hole in the side of his face with her glaring.

_He’s a demon, you can’t lose your temper with him or he might...lose control like Lucifer did._

Her hands dug into her black skinny jeans as she recounted the events of that night, Lucifer had since apologized and was acting his usual reserved self around her but the fact she was scared of him the most when she first arrived hadn’t changed. He had performed beautifully on the piano for her a few weeks ago and shown her a softer side of himself, but whenever she was alone with him she felt threatened.

_I don’t feel threatened around the other brothers, just Lucifer._

_And Levi...I thought we had something...more._

She clenched her teeth as she got lost in that deep rooted anger building up inside of her again.

The animé they were watching had 20 volumes so it would be awhile before she could leave. She sighed a little too loud and reached for the DVD case, she needed any sort of distraction right now. 

_How many episodes have we seen? I've not really been able to pay attention._  
  
Levi darted his eyes at her once, that scowl still on his face but now a furrowed brow and a scrunched up nose followed, he watched her as she fumbled about at the table and finally spoke.

“This is the final episode of the first disc, so you can leave after this. ” He rolled his eyes and kicked up his feet, resting them on the other side of the white marble table.

“..B-but I don’t want to leave you, I have to make sure you eat.” she managed to stammer out.

Levi’s eyebrows raised in surprise for a second and then he smirked. 

_“_ Oh please, you look so uncomfortable and you haven’t stopped sighing, it’s so _annoying_ . _”_ he bit his lip, as his own hurtful words reached him. She wasn’t annoying in the slightest, he knew deep down that he was causing her a great deal of pain acting like this, but he just couldn’t help himself with that fear that he cared for someone more than himself. Every cell in his body was screaming for him to stop this self sabotage, his heart yelled at him that it would not be able to keep this up for another 10 months.

  
Em clenched the DVD case tighter as she felt her eyes fill up.

_No, no no. You can’t cry. Nate was like this with you too, right till the bitter end. But why has Levi changed so drastically? You don’t go from spending every waking moment texting someone, asking someone to hang out with you every chance they got...to ..whatever this is._

She summoned all of her remaining confidence and spoke once more, trying to calm herself down “I’m sorry... I...Levi, tell me what happened with you and Beel, please? I-I might not be able to help but I can atleast lis-”

“N-NOTHING HAPPENED!" he yelled at the top of his lungs in fear. "Why should I tell a _filthy_ human like you? And don’t call me by that name, it’s _disgusting_.” She recoiled and opened her mouth in shock, Levi wasn’t just hostile he was downright aggressive towards her now and the tears welling up were threatening to burst like a dam.

Em spoke up one more time. “W-why? Because you’re my best friend, that’s why! I’m worried about you, everyone is...y-you were never this-this.. _CRUEL_.” she slammed her fist down and glared at him, begging him for mercy from another tongue lashing.

Levi snapped his head around and forced himself to look at her square in the eyes. “Why would I ever be friends with a human like you, don’t you get it? It was all an act. I merely pretended to be your friend because you were so pathetic I couldn’t help myself." He took a breath and smirked. "I just wanted to play with you a little.” and looked back towards the screen, his eyes burning into every pixel, every tiny detail to stop himself from breaking through the facade right there and then.

He had convinced himself that he was not worthy of love, he had been alone for so many years that the thought he might want something more in his life terrified him. The prospect of him being romantically involved with someone, it just didn’t compute in his otaku brain.

_It was an act? E-even the way you held me and comforted me that one time?_

_N-no...it couldn't be....could it?_

That was the straw that broke the humans back. Em rose to her feet and stood over him.

“Get lost, human. Know your place!” Levi was flustered now, and he pointed over to the far end of the sofa where she had previously been sitting.

“So...it was all a lie? All of it? Is that what you’re trying to tell me.” 

_If he says yes I don't know if my heart can handle being here any longer._

“...Yes.” he gnawed on the inside of his cheek."All of it."

“Fine.” she exhaled heavily through her sobs and walked over to one of his shelves, reaching for a bag of food she’d brought earlier that morning. It was filled with healthy drinks and snacks, and a few sandwiches she had prepared for him during the evening; and somewhere at the bottom of that bag was something she’d intended to treat him with.

During Levi’s isolation Em and Solomon had grown quite close and he seemed to visit her on every occasion he got, he’d stay for hours in the Library as she worked; reading all sorts of strange books as he kept her company. A few days ago, whilst working at the Library she had been approached by Solomon, he had something interesting to show her. _  
  
__“Em...I have something that might pique your interest.” she looked at Solomon as he smiled warmly and teased her in a playful tone. As he reached into his pocket her eyes must have grown to the size of dinner plates because he started laughing, a light blush on his cheeks._

_It was a limited edition Lord of Corruption's wing pendant, Levi had told her how impossibly, incredibly rare it was and it was only released during a special event to commemorate Volume 1’s release. She forgot her composure completely and screamed out “WHERE DID YOU GET THAT OH MY GOD?!”._

_Solomon chuckled and put his hand over her mouth and his eyes darted over to Abaddon who was skulking around the lower floor. “Shhhh, it’s a secret....anyway, I want you to have it.” He flashed a grin at her “You’ve been really down about Levi lately and I thought it’d cheer you up. Ah but this is a secret between us, okay?”_

_“Solomon....I can’t accept something like this!”_

_“Don’t be silly Em, take it. It’s yours.”_

_“Well at the very least please, take some grimm for the trouble.” She refused to let him just hand something so valuable over, Solomon kept insisting he didn’t mind but in the end he took the money._

_"If it's the only way you'll accept my gift... but now I have to buy you a drink or take you to lunch sometime in return okay?" he laughed and scratched the back of his neck. "And you're not allowed to refuse or give me money."_

_"Okay that's a deal. Oooh we could even take our Zwitches and maybe Asmodeus could join us? We could have a proper tournament! A-and maybe when Levi feels better he could come too.."_

_Solomon raised his eyebrow and chose his words carefully, he had wanted it to be just the two of them but didn't want to ruin her good mood and make it awkward. "Sure, that sounds fun!" he grit his teeth and sighed."Well you'd better get back to work, I'll be over there if you need me."_

Her mind was made up as soon as she accepted it, she had just missed Leviathans birthday when she arrived in the Devildom, and after what stress he seemed to be going through lately she decided he needed a little release. She wasn't confident enough right now to give it to him under any other pretence.

Trembling as she shuffled around in the bag she heard Levi groan behind her. He had paused the DVD, and for just one moment before he spoke she felt a glimmer of hope. “Do you have to do that? I’m trying to watch this. if you’re going to be making all that noise just go.” The demon rolled his eyes in irritation.

“I’m going now...” she mumbled as she pulled out a small palm sized parcel, and in her other hand she held out her DDD, the burnewt keyring dangled from the corner of it. “If we’re not friends....why did you give me this? You told me you had been wanting to give me it for sometime, if you don’t care about me then why would you go through that trouble?"

Levi's face hardened as he bit down on his lip and grunted “Pfft, I told you; it was an act. I wanted to gain your trust so I wasted a fraction of my grimm on you.” His eyes could not hide the fear now. “I purposely waited until you thought we had a bond.”

“Yeah? Well...I wasted a fraction of my grimm on you too then” she headed towards the door and then threw the parcel at him, it landed on the sofa next to him. “I guess your plan worked, too well.”

Levi panicked now, he hadn’t expected her to pull out the keyring or throw things at him. Of course he knew she’d had a short temper as proven on the movie night but this was something else. “Hey! What the hell do you think you’re doing human? Do you want to die? You should be damn grateful!"

“You know what? I can’t even look at you right now. You’re even worse than Nate.” she spat out, and slammed the door behind her, leaving him stunned and guilt ridden, alone once more with his thoughts.

_ End of Ems POV.  _

The door slammed with such a force Leviathan thought it had come off its hinges. With Em out of sight his facade dropped and he covered his face with his hands in shame. 

_Worse than Nate? what did she mean by that?_

_No...no stop caring._

_I....I did it. She hates me now. I'm free._

_But..shouldn’t I feel happier about this._

_This is what I wanted...right?_

He lifted his head up and glanced towards the package next to him, his heart was in his mouth; what in Devildom had she thrown at him?

He snatched the package from the gap in the sofa it had caught in and started pressing it with his hands. Whatever was inside the package drew his curiosity as it felt solid and it was a weird shape.

_I should just get rid of it. Opening it might cause problems for me._

He stood up and assessed the damage to his door, two of the bottom hinges were folded unnaturally and a screw had popped out. He exhaled slowly and ambled towards the trash can, hovering the package over it in his hand. He clenched it tightly, unable to let go.

_Ugh why can’t I do this, it’s not as if it’s going to disappear into thin air. Just throw it in the damn trash already!_

His body refused, it was as if the package was glued to his hand. Somewhere deep down inside him; a part of him he had buried was screaming out for him to stop this silly behaviour. He grit his teeth and tore the package open in surrender to his conscience.

“No...no..no way” He reached into the wrapping and pulled out a small silver wing shaped pendant; it had words etched on the front “Limited edition” and on the other side a note had been stuck down to it.

_This ..this is... the Lord of Corruptions platinum limited edition wing pendant...it’s insanely rare! How the hell did she even get her hands on this?_

It was as if his heart started working again and it thumped violently against his chest, angry at his cold facade. His hands trembled as he turned it over and read the note. 

“Happy Belated Birthday Levi,

When I first came to the Devildom I was all alone and I thought I didn't want to exist in any of the three realms anymore; and then I met you and you showed me true kindness, which now I think of it is sort of funny because you're a demon. But to me you're more than that ; you're my best friend, you helped me overcome my fear of people and I miss you so much it hurts.

I hope you're taking care of yourself, if you ever need to talk I'm just a message away okay?

Em.”

Levi read the note over and over, tears forming in his amber eyes. Every word caused his chest to tighten, she’d arrived two weeks after his birthday; at the end of April. So why would she go through the trouble now? His cheeks flushed and his ears burned in embarrassment and guilt; he had said terrible things to her but here she was in a letter stating he was truly kind. Leviathan fell into despair, he collapsed on his knees and cried into the note.

She had trusted him enough to let him stay on the day she grieved for her departed friend, and as far as he was aware their time together that day had remained a secret even from Mammon. “ _I miss you so much it hurts”._ It was hurting him too, more than she would ever know. He had just shattered all the trust and any bond they had formed.

_I went too far..._

In a moment of weakness he grabbed his DDD, typing out an essay to Em. Just before he could bring himself to hit the send button he received a bombardment of messages from his brothers, and one in particular frightened him, Mammon was furious.

**You have 16 new messages.**

Satan: Nice going...

Satan: I’m really disappointed in you.

Asmodeus: Levi I can’t believe you said that to Em! 

Asmodeus: You should be ashamed of yourself! You didn’t mean it right? 

Asmodeus: I know I called you a tsundere but this is just too far.

Beelzebub: I don’t even know what to say to you right now

Beelzebub: You can get mad at me all you want for what happened.

Beelzebub: But don’t you dare take it out on her.

Lucifer: Idiot.

Lucifer: You’re a disappointment to us all.

Mammon: Ya better stay in that room because if I get the chance I’m going to punch you so hard you’ll be reincarnated into all three realms at the same time!

Mammon: I knew your true colours would come out sooner or later.

Mammon: You’ve always been a stubborn idiot, this is why I didn’t want her getting close to you.

Mammon: I’m so **_ANGRY_ **with you, she was just worried about ya! 

Mammon: You were the closest to Em than any of us!

Mammon: How the hell can ya even live with yourself right now.

He winced as he read every message his brothers had sent, they were right; he was a disappointment. He’d known all his life he could never be as great as they were, even Belphie would be irate with him if he had been here to know what a kind soul Em was. He deleted the message to her, he couldn’t even bring himself to apologize to her now that his brothers knew what he’d said and done. 

In one fell swoop he had pushed away everything he'd gained. There was no coming back from this.

**You have 5 new messages.**

Solomon: I don’t know what happened and I don’t want to know, just listen.

Solomon: I found Em in a heap in the corridor, I was on my way to come see you. She is here with me now and she won’t come out of the bathroom.

Solomon: I take back every nice thing I said about you.

Solomon: You’re not a decent guy at all.

Solomon: Em deserves a lot better than you.

After that Leviathans DDD went silent, he crawled into his bedtub and cried himself to sleep again.

Dreams of Em tortured him that night.

* * *

The next morning Leviathan woke up to a loud banging noise on his door, there were multiple voices outside.

 _Oh...here we go._   
  
He rubbed his swollen eyes and opened the door slowly, mentally preparing himself but was greeted by Mammon's fist. It hit him in the jaw and he had to be restrained by Lucifer immediately. 

“Well..personally even I think you deserved that Leviathan” Lucifer looked furious. “Is this how you treat your reputation? If you weren’t my brother I would have had Diavolo throw you into the dungeons for a few years to think about your actions.” 

Levi said nothing and looked down at the floor, he deserved that punch. He deserved as many punches as Mammon wanted to give him right now.

“Arrrrgh just one more, one more please! That felt _SO_ good” Mammon struggled, flailing in Lucifers grip as he hurled insults at Levi who just stood there and took it all. "You stupid, worthless coward-asshole-imp-nerd bastard! Lemme go Lucifer he still hasn't had enough! The overgrown..lizard!"

Lucifer grabbed Mammon by the ear and pulled gently. “ **If you don’t calm down right now brother I will resort to unleashing my wrath on you.”** The white haired demon instantly stopped but glared daggers at Leviathan, who scrunched his eyes closed, flinching at each insult.  
  
The oldest brother snapped his head towards his younger otaku sibling with a look of contempt. “Let’s get this over with.” He closed his eyes and folded his arms trying to hold in his emotional outburst, if he lost it like Mammon had, there would be nothing left of Levi except a purple smear on the wall. “Em didn’t come home last night, we got a message from Solomon to say she was at Purgatory Hall because of _your_ actions." 

_What?_

Levi let out an audible gasp and forced himself to meet the cold gaze of his brothers. “She didn’t come back?”It was all he could muster up as the feeling of jealousy started to bubble up inside him once more. Now that he was able to place the name of the feeling he found himself even more of a slave to it.  
  
Mammons eyes narrowed and he couldn't help but sneer. “Oh so now you care!” he clenched his jaw as the faintest demonic aura emitted from him. “I don’t know what she’s thinkin’ going to spend the night with a guy, drinking wine with him too! If he has touched a hair on her head I’ll have him for breakfast! Exchange or no exchange, I don't give a rats ass about my rep!”

_They were drinking..together? All night?_

Lucifer smirked “ Tsk Solomon would never do something to uproot his reputation; unlike our **idiot** of a brother here. He knows how to treat others with respect.”

“Well I can’t stand the thought of her bein' there any longer, I’m gonna go drag her ass home” Mammon shot one last look at Levi and then stormed down the corridor, muttering more insults under his breath. He kicked a nearby gargoyle statue and it crumbled to dust.

Lucifer hung back for a moment and sighed once more, scanning his purple haired brother up and down. “I don't know or particularly care what this is all about, but for your own sake you really need to get it together.” he slammed the door shut on himself as he marched back to his office not even bothering to see to the pile of dust in the middle of the corridor.

Levi leant against the door for a few minutes soaking in everything they'd said and done to him and then meandered into the bathroom, splashing his face with ice cold water to both wake himself out of his stupor; and to tend to his now swelling jaw. Every word they'd said had been the truth.

_I am worthless..they all think so too.._

_I knew it._

Memories of his time together with the human girl flashed in his mind, playing games with her, laughing and joking about silly scenes in animé or the memes they shared with eachother over the DDD and now it was all gone, nothing but a temporary fantasy for him now.

_She stayed with Solomon all night? In the same room?_

_D-did they.._

His imagination got the better of him and he started concocting scenes of Solomon comforting Em as she sobbed into the sorcerers chest, like she had with him so many days ago; but then the scene twisted into more suggestive images. Solomon started kissing her, nibbling her ear and sucking her neck as she laughed and clumsily sipped her wine. They were both mocking Levi, calling him pathetic and worthless as they got lost in eachother.

_Stop...please_

Solomon ran his hand down her chest and laughed. "See, I'm much better than him. He's nothing, he doesn't deserve someone like you." he started nibbling at her neck slowly.

_No!_

The ghostly image of Em moaned in pleasure and chuckled. "You're right, deep down I knew he was _worthless_ I guess I just wanted to believe differently." she flicked her jet black hair over her shoulder so Solomon could leave a hickey or two. "I just never thought he'd be so _cruel."_

Solomon laughed in a mocking tone "Well now you've got me, I'd never treat you as badly as that _monster_ did."

She sighed with contempt. "Can you believe I even told him he was the most attractive out of all of the brothers once, hah obviously it was a joke. I guess I couldn't help but feel a little pity for that _pathetic **virgin**_ **.** " Em threw her arms around the white haired sorcerer and whispered into his ear. " _Lets teach him a lesson he'll never forget"_ she snapped her head towards the mirrors entrance and smirked at the delusional demon as if she could see him.

_No! I didn't mean what I said to you, I take it back, all of it._

_Em...please. Stop this._

_This isn't you!_

Levi threw his hands into his face as the vision twisted even more into his own fear and imagination, the purple aura was back and he hissed as the scene just kept playing inside his head over and over; unwilling to show him any mercy. He sighed defeatedly and forced his eyes back open, the mirrors reflection had finally changed but it wasn't anything he wanted to see.

The sorcerer ripped off his cape and slowly unbuttoned his shirt."Shhh stop talking about other men" he pressed his finger to her lips and guided her towards the bed. "You're mine now, all of you belongs to me." he growled in a seductive tone, both of them never taking their eyes off Levi, who watched in horror as the sorcerer consumed her. "Forget all about him."

_No...no they wouldn't do something like that._

_She wouldn't._

The thought of someone else kissing her, holding her like he had, laughing and joking with her and taking her innocence one day caused something inside Leviathan to snap.

 _Get off her!_

He clenched his fist and smashed the black bathroom mirror; the vision shattered along with shards of glass that scattered around the floor with a loud crash and a few stray fragments poked out of his knuckles, the pain of his flesh being sliced open and the shards digging themselves into the sinew was nothing compared to the mental anguish he had caused himself.

“I’ve ruined everything...and all because I’m a damn coward.” Levi whispered to himself regretfully, frozen in place.

_Maybe she wouldn't do that with him but..I wouldn't blame her if she did._

_Solomon has always been more attractive, more confident and just better than me in every way._

_They're right. I don't deserve you Em, but I want to be someone who does._

_If you let me._

_I'll never hurt you again._

_I..._

_I love you._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mammon fans rejoice! Also Baka-viathan is dead!  
> I'm sorry, apparently I love emotionally torturing my own characters ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	19. Change

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi finally comes out of his room and shocks the brothers, we get to see Ems version of events from two days ago.

_Okay, you can do this. It’s no big deal._

Levi stood in front of the cracked mirror, staring at the pair of metal scissors like they were about to jump up and clip him to death. Last night he had finally accepted the fact he had feelings for the human girl, and that he didn’t want to lose her as a friend or to someone else romantically.

He was surprised Asmodeus had even humoured him when he called, they had all been so angry with him, but it was as if Asmodeus could sense a change in his older brother and he happily ran down the flight of stairs with the scissors he’d asked for.

“Are you sure you don’t want my help? I’m worried you’re gonna mess it up” Asmodeus had asked. Levi thanked his brother for the help and just closed the door back over. He would explain things to him eventually but he wanted to do this whilst he had the burst of confidence.

With his hands trembling he grabbed the scissors and stretched his bangs down straight and began trimming.

* * *

The five brothers gathered around the breakfast table, Em had excused herself again today; she had returned sometime in the afternoon the day before but only for a few minutes before she packed a bag and took off back to Purgatory Hall. It had been revealed she crashed with Simeon and Luke last night; much to Mammon's relief. 

They all carried on as usual and began to eat, Beel had his pancakes stacked as tall as the ceiling, Satan was sipping his tea, Lucifer was tucking into his breakfast as he read the morning paper. Mammon looked uncomfortable and just stared at the now three empty chairs, Asmodeus just smiled for he knew what was about to happen.

**You have 2 new messages.**

Leviathan: I’m on my way.

Leviathan: Just...no teasing okay?

Asmodeus: I promise ~

The Avatar of Lust whistled innocently as he put his DDD back in his pocket.

Levi hovered behind the door just out of sight of his brothers. He hadn’t made a total disaster of his hair thanks to the Ooogle tutorials but he felt extremely self conscious as he stepped out of his room for the first time in weeks.

He hadn’t cut too much off his hair, about half an inch so his bangs didn’t block his sight anymore and he had finally gotten rid of that damned long strand that was always sticking out. His dark purple eyebrows were now on full display for the world to see and due the fact his eyes weren’t hidden they seemed to glow even brighter and bigger in proportion with his face.

_..is it too short? Maybe this was a bad idea….it’ll grow back quick right?_

He took a deep breath and stepped into the dinner hall, the brothers hadn’t noticed his presence yet, so he approached them quietly and as calmly as he could. He caught sight of the back of Mammons head and rubbed his bruised cheek as he remembered what had happened yesterday.

“L-levi?!” Beel was the first one to notice his brother sneak up behind them. He had been gorging himself on his breakfast when he spotted a familiar purple blur, but as he turned his attention away from his plate he noticed Levi looked completely different.

Everyone's heads snapped around and Levi was met with a chorus of gasps. Lucifer was the only one who seemed to remain composed, but even he had lost his place in the article he had been reading.

“Levi...I almost didn’t recognise you! You look…” Asmodeus was the first to form a coherent sentence.

“Ugh don’t say it, I look awful don’t I? I knew it…” he frowned and looked down at his feet, feeling stupid.

“I was going to say you look...different...but I’m just not used to it, ah! It’s a good different I swear!” the petite brother threw his hands up in the air, he still couldn’t get over the shock.

Satan was the next to speak. “I...am speechless. What caused..this?” it was perhaps the first time in his life that Satan couldn’t find the right words. Lucifer just kept staring; fighting the urge to open his mouth in shock.

“Ya look...good.” the white haired brother had to take his glasses off and give them a good rub on his jacket. “But...why are ya here? And more importantly why did ya say all that horrible stuff to Em the other day! I’m still angry, don’t think a sudden haircut is gonna make me forgive ya.”

“I know.. I know..” Levi sighed. “Wait, you really think I look good?” he snapped his head back up as the words sank in.

“We do.” Beel nodded, his mouth stuffed with pancakes. Levi took a seat next to him and grabbed a handful of food before he spoke. “I’ve been wanting to cut it for years now, but I never had the confidence. Then last night…. I…” he trailed off as everyone looked his way. “I just wanted to cut it okay? I fancied a change.” he stabbed at the food on his plate and began to chew in silence.

“Well...it’s certainly an impulsive change, maybe I should punch ya more often eh? But why aren’t ya running off to find Em right now, you need to apologize. Like, seriously.” Mammon wasn’t sure whether he wanted to be shocked or angry and his expressions kept switching between the two. He was expecting Levi to shut down again or make a stupid remark but Levi just sighed and grabbed more handfuls of meat.

“Because what would I even say...I was writing an apology before you all attacked me you know?”

“But don’t you think it would’ve been better to apologize to her face? I mean an apology text? That’s a slap in the face; a bit like being dumped by text.” Asmodeus shrugged.

“I agree, you said some really idiotic things Levi. You need to tell her you’re sorry, face to face...but we don’t know where she is right now” the blonde ruffled his hair.

“She didn’t come home again?” 

“Oh she came back...but then she packed some stuff and went straight back.” Asmodeus frowned.

“Ugh...I already feel like shit and hearing that makes me feel even worse.” he winced, and ran his fingers through the back of his newly cut hair. “I don’t know what to do.”

“Well for starters, good. You should feel bad about what you did. And you _still_ need to tell us why you’ve been holed up in your room for damned weeks, making us all worry about ya to death. And what was the fight with Beel all about” Mammon pointed at the red haired brother who remained awfully quiet. “He still hasn’t said a word to us and it’s driving us freakin’ crazy” 

"Oh and don't forget the scare he gave us the other day~" Asmodeus chimed in.

"Right! I was sick with worry and this is how he repays me"

"Well we heard you punched him...so technically you got your reward." Satan took note of the bruise on his purple haired brothers cheek and smirked slightly.

The purple haired demon met each of his brothers eyes with little confidence. “I…I'm sorry alright? I thought it wouldn't affect me...and I didn't want to leave my room, and Akuzon didn't ship my food! So technically it's their fault not mine.... and...I'll tell you everything one day..but -"

_I can't tell them today, not here. I need to make up with her first._

Lucifer seemed to finish observing the scene around him and revealed one of his signature smirks; his crimson sulphuric eyes pierced into Levi’s as he spoke “I’ve already figured it out.” he chuckled.

“W-what are you talking about?”

“I know why you lost your temper.” he said in a smug tone before flicking through his paper like he didn’t have a care in the world.

“Wait really! Luci tell us, don't be a tease~”

“Are ya tellin’ me you’ve known this entire time Lucifer!”

“Of course, I wouldn’t have expected anything less..” Satan scoffed. He hated to admit it but he was an awful lot like his brother; having been born from his wrath. It came as no surprise to Satan that Lucifer had been piecing things together behind the scenes.

“Leviathan maybe you should finish your breakfast and get back to your room.” Lucifer began sipping his coffee.

“Actually I wanted to talk to Beel….a-ah if that’s okay I mean!” he gazed at his brother and pleaded with his eyes that he’d agree. Beel stabbed another stack of pancakes and slid them onto his plate; averting his eyes from Levi. 

It was no good, no one could ignore that pitiful expression. “Fine... I’ll hear you out.” He sighed defeatedly.

“Ooooh can we stay too Leviiii, we’ve missed you after all~”

“I-” Levi was about to state that he wanted to talk to Beel alone as it was important but was cut off.

Beel swallowed another mouthful and interjected. “I actually wanted to talk to him alone you guys, if you don’t mind.” he had some inkling as to what this conversation would be about, and despite his anger at his brother right now he knew he wanted to talk to him about something serious. Leviathan wasn’t the sort of man to beg if it wasn’t important to him.

"Ugh you're both boring...but fine. Don't think I won't give up~" Asmodeus pouted. He wanted the gossip already but his brothers remained tight lipped.

Everyone finished their breakfast and excused themselves, Lucifer was the last to leave as he flashed another smirk in Levi’s direction. “I’ll drop by later today.” 

_What the hell does he want?_

“So….” Beel started as he fidgeting in his seat awkwardly.

Levi sighed. _Okay, time to rip off the band aid._ “Beel. I’m really really really really REALLY sorry about our fight. I should’ve apologized to you weeks ago but I was...I...I was in a bad place and I took my anger out on you, I should’ve listened I just..I-” 

Beels face softened slightly. “I forgive you for that. I forgave you right after it happened Levi.” his eyes narrowed slightly “But I cannot forgive you for the way you spoke to Em the other day, she has been so worried about you all this time." He folded his arms and took a moment before he continued. "Let me just say this, you had no reason to be jealous. I see her in the same light as Lilith. And she sees me like a big brother.” 

_I really am an idiot...of course he'd see her as a sister._

Beel sighed. "You know, I did tell you that the day you attacked me." 

“...o-oh.” 

"What?"

“N-nothing, it’s just you sort of said everything I wanted to talk about.” Levi couldn't help but smile at his brother. "And I'm sorry, I must not have been listening when you told me..."

Beel raised an eyebrow and pushed further. “Are you sure that’s everything you wanted to say?”

“Well..I….uhhhh” Levi blushed and his lip quivered as his heart sped up, he had only just accepted this himself and hadn’t even said it out loud to himself yet; let alone anyone else.

 _You have to have confidence… if you can’t tell your brother how the hell are you going to tell her?_

He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists, Beel looked at him confused and noted the deep cuts on his knuckles; was Levi going to fight with him again? There was a long pause as Levi took a deep breath and then finally whispered “ You were right.”

“Huh?”

“You were right... about….about how I… towards…” he shrank into his uniform, it was a lot harder to say out loud than in his head.

“I can barely hear you bro...speak up”

_Ugh, this is so embarrassing. But I have to..I have to be more confident._

He scrunched his face up in determination as he took a deep breath. “I...I-I do...have f-f-feelings..for her". Beel sat speechless for a few moments and then a massive smile spread across his face.

_There's no way I'm saying the L word to him though, there's a limit to how much humiliation I can take._

“So you finally admitted it huh?" he started to chuckle as he registered just embarrassed his brother looked right now, it was hilarious to see him so flustered; but at the same time Beel was proud of him for finally opening up and accepting how he felt. "Don't worry, I won't say anything, but man we seem to ramping up the secrets..."

Levi had excused himself shortly after making peace with Beel, and part of him just wanted to go hide his face again. His heart was still racing, he hadn't said the exact words but at least it was with his own voice, and he'd told someone else. He couldn’t help but smile as he instinctively threw his hand over his mouth to hide the beaming grin as he made his way down the corridors. It felt like a massive weight had been lifted off of him, and he was walking on cloud nine back to his room.

_I want to just scream it out from the observatory...can I just go tell her right now? No. no I can’t, I have to tell her I didn’t mean all those horrible things I said. But is this what it’s like to be in love… I just feel so damn happy._

_What was I so scared of?_

He skipped happily back to his room and whistled as he put his yellow and teal headphones over his ears, even the music sounded clearer today. He glanced down at his DDD, Em would be in class for another few hours. But he was brimming with a new found confidence right now, he would make amends before the end of today even if it meant humiliating himself further.

An hour passed and he had gotten all of his work done, in record time. He bopped along to his music and then an idea struck him. 

_It’s been too long…_

He stood up and dragged out a huge blue trunk from under his desk. It contained a variety of costumes from capes to jester clothes to butler outfits. With his new haircut filling him with new found confidence he tried on most of them, taking many selfies in dramatic poses. Today was the happiest he’d been in a long time, it was like all the stress from the past few months had washed away.

He had just finished uploading his new selfies to Devilgram when he noticed the time, Em would be finishing her lessons soon.

Finally the time came. He glanced towards the wing pendant she had thrown at him a few days ago, it was now hanging in a display case on the wall next to his PC, the note she had left was pinned just below it.

_Oh jeez, now I’m all nervous. C’mon, confidence, confidence…._

He turned his PC off, said goodbye to his goldfish Henry and selfishly prayed to his father that everything would be okay. His hands felt clammy and his legs shook as he made his way to the Academy’s main building.

* * *

Ems POV 

I stormed out of his room, I just couldn’t stay there any longer; the things he was saying. I knew deep down it was a facade, it had to be right? but it still hurt…

I ran blindly through my tears, I could barely see where I was going and then I felt warm arms embrace me. I looked up trying to focus through my tears.

“Shhhhh, it’s okay. I’m here” It was Solomon. He wiped the tears from my cheek with his thumb and held me in his arms and just let me sob into his chest. I cursed, I smacked his chest in frustration towards Levi and he stood there and took it. I don’t know how but I ended up in Purgatory Hall.

“Just make yourself at home, Em.” Solomon gestured towards a small white and gold sofa. I must have been in his dorm room. It was oddly medieval looking, books piled high like Satans room but cauldrons and potion bottles scattered around a large oak table. What could only be described as an Altar sat just north of the table and there were strange markings etched on it. 

He coughed and looked at me with kind eyes. “Oh don’t worry about that, I know it looks dodgy as hell right? haha, it’s just something from Demonology class.” 

I snapped my head up to meet his gaze and he smiled. “Now, Em. Tell me what happened.” he started pouring some liquid, I didn’t even care what it was. I took it and threw it down my neck, I was so thirsty.

“Wait Em! That’s wine!” He snatched the glass off me and chuckled “I didn’t want you to get drunk I just thought you needed a little pick me up….oh well.” he grabbed some bread from a nearby basket and handed it to me “Just in case it hits you too fast.” 

“Thank you...and I-I’m sorry. I’m just so damned angry- oops….is it rude to curse in Purgatory Hall?” 

He stared at me for a few seconds and laughed “I won’t tell the angels if you don’t.” he smirked. “So...are you going to tell me what happened or just hit me some more?”

I felt my face growing scarlet “I’m so sorry about that! I just...I ugh.” 

“It’s okay, from the looks of it you needed it” he took a swig of his wine and sat down next to me on the sofa.

“I did… ugh Solomon he’s being such an…..asshole.” he laughed as I flinched and darted my eyes around but gestured for me to continue “he called me a filthy human and then told me…” I took a deep breath struggling to keep my tears in “he said he pretended to be my friend because I was pathetic and he wanted to play with me…” the tears were streaming down my face again as I continued recounting the events “ I asked..him..i-if e-everything..was a lie and..he said it-it-was.” 

His face grew stern now and I saw hints of anger in those hazel-blue eyes of his. “He said that? Wow… I knew he had a temper but thats…” he took another sip of his glass and then slid closer to me. “I’m sorry Em, that’s horrible.”

I felt my cheeks flush as I realized just how close he was to me, and I stood up. I was reminded of the time I fell and Levi grabbed me by the waist, our faces had been so close and I had gotten lost in those yellow eyes. 

My heart started thumping loudly as I recalled that day.

“Ah sorry! I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable…” Solomon stood up too and walked over to me with a concerned look on his face.

“N-no it’s fine hah, you just...you reminded me of something.” Sudden tears formed again. “Ugh I’m sorry, I really am a mess aren’t I?”

“Hey, you’re not a mess. You’ve been through a lot today..plus it’s probably the wine.” He frowned sympathetically. Ugh why was he so nice, it just made my heart ache more that Levi was being the total opposite.

“Thanks Solomon….hey do you mind if I use your bathroom, I need to get it together” 

“Of course, it’s just through there, but you should tell the others about this...they might be able to talk some sense into Levi.” he looked down at the floor lost in thought and then snapped his head up. “Wait, Em. Don’t you have a pact with Levi?”

My face flushed again as it brought up the memory of me kissing him on the cheek and sitting on his lap. I couldn’t help but to bring my hands to my face in embarrassment.

“..Em?”

“Ah sorry...yes I do...why?”

“Well you know you can make a demon do your bidding right? Just summon him and demand him to tell you why he’s acting like such an ass” 

“Wait I can order them around?” I was never told that. Well to be honest I didn’t really care, I trusted the brothers and they obviously trusted me enough to have that sort of power over them, I wasn’t going to abuse it willy nilly. But I did want to help Belphegor escape.

“Them? You have multiple pacts, Em?”

“well….I...yes” 

“Hah, you too huh.” he smirked and laughed heartily.

“Huh?”

_Solomon has pacts too?_

_Does that mean he's kissed the demons he's made pacts with as well?_

_Well there's no way I'm asking him something like that._

“It’s nothing! Weren’t you uhh...composing yourself in the bathroom?”

“Ah yes, sorry! I seem to be spacing out a lot these days”

_It must be contagious, Levi was always spacing out too…_

I made my way into the bathroom and caught sight of myself in the mirror, I looked a mess. I’d been having trouble sleeping lately...more than usual. My hair didn’t look as shiny and I had huge bags under my eyes, and to make matters worse my face was all puffy from crying so much.

 _No wonder Levi doesn’t want to talk to me anymore, I’m pathetic._ Tears welled up for the third time that evening and I sobbed uncontrollably against the sink.

 _I wonder if he opened the pendant...did he even read my note?_ I stared back at myself in the mirror. 

He probably just threw it in the trash like he did with the other notes. I saw them all scattered around the floor when I walked in that morning; he didn’t even seem to care that I could see them. I rested my head against the counter and closed my eyes.

I must have been in there for quite a while because I heard Solomon talking on the phone to multiple people.

Time started to slip away from me until I heard a knock on the door. “Em, Are you alright?”.

_Ugh I have to go out don’t I, look at the state of me..._

I reluctantly opened the door after drying my tears and rinsing my face again. Solomon held his DDD in his hand and was waving it around. “I told everyone what happened. They’re absolutely furious with him, especially Mammon.” 

“Oh jeez, Solomon you didn’t have to tell them, I would've but I got a little..well...sidetracked.”

_I hope Mammon doesn’t go and do something stupid….the last thing I want is Levi getting hurt.._

“It’s fine Em, relax. I told them you’re staying here tonight. I don’t think it’s a good idea for you to be alone right now.” he scratched his silver hair and suddenly blushed. “Oh, I didn’t mean HERE here, I’m sure Simeon and Luke have space in their room.” 

I couldn’t help but laugh at that fearful expression “Don’t worry I know what you meant. Thank you so much, Solomon” I bowed my head in appreciation.

“You’re a strange girl, Em. I’m not a prince or anything so why are you bowing?” He chuckled.

“Haha sorry, I’m just used to apologizing to people.” It wasn’t a lie. 

Back in the human realm I felt like all I did was apologize to people. 

Nate had called me out on it when we first met, I apologized for his mother's death and he had shot me a look with those piercing blue eyes. 

_“Why are you sorry, it’s not your fault she died, is it?” He was a small boy who always had a stoic expression._

_“Well..umm no I just, I’m so sorry!” I had bowed my head in respect, even at such a young age I was used to taking the blame._

_“Idiot, I told you. There’s no need to apologize.” he rolled his eyes at me “this is why I can’t stand people, you’re like sheep, you’re only nice because you’ve been trained to be”._

_“You speak as if you’re not a person” I smiled warmly at him._

_“I’m not. I don’t want to be. And get lost will you, you’re annoying me with that ugly face” he shoved me to the side and walked off towards a group of people in black suits._

_"Emilia, Nate there you are. Come here now; they're starting..." My father approached us both and ushered us towards the casket that was being lowered slowly into the ground._

“Well we’d better get you settled in with Simeon and Luke, I think the brothers would eat me alive if they knew you were in my room right now” Solomon laughed nervously.

“Uhh..y-yeah, thanks again.” I was suddenly snapped back to the present, it had been a long time since I thought of Nate; even the memory of him was fuzzy.

Infact everything looked fuzzy and I felt my head spinning.

"...Em?" "Woah!"

The last thing I remember was seeing Solomons white hair blurring towards me before everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized we've got a flashback within a flashback, Inception has got nothin' on me.
> 
> Also fun fact, I rewrote this chapter twice because hooo boy, the Solomon scene originally went in a whole other direction but it felt very out of character for Em, plus I think Levi has suffered enough for now.


	20. Purgatory Hall

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Em wakes up in Solomons room the next morning, we learn a little more about Angels.
> 
> (Original lore stuff and a lot of dialogue)

I woke up with a ringing in my ears, my head was screaming. I’d drank alcohol before but this must have been double my limit.

"Ugh...my head"

“Oh, you’re awake! How do you feel?” Solomon was sitting at his desk, he must have been studying because he had a pile of books next to him and some notes sprawled across the table.

“S-solomon? What time is it? How long have I been asleep...wait!” I snapped my head up as the ringing increased, I was still in Solomons room, which means I must have passed out. My cheeks burned as I realized that I must have slept in his bed and I tore the sheets off me, trying to stand up.

“Woah, woah! Calm down. You’re fine...I slept on the sofa!” he instantly threw himself to his feet and reassured me. "It's still early, 8am"

_Ugh, I'm meant to be going to check on Levi soon...how can I face him after that._

Almost as if he could read my mind Solomon spoke up again _"_ Don't worry about him today, Lucifer excused you from that duty."

“Oh..w-well, thanks and I-I’m so sorry to bother you”

“Don’t apologize, Em. Anyway I’ll go tell the angels you’re awake.” he closed his books and with a flick of his wrist they were back on the shelves far above us, out of reach. I hadn’t seen anyone use magic before, other than the teachers so it took me by surprise.

“Ah there’s a drink on the dresser next to you, don’t worry it is in fact water and not wine this time.” he called out laughing to himself as he closed the door, I couldn’t help but be a little embarrassed.  
  
It suddenly dawned on me that I hadn’t even texted anyone else and I pulled my DDD out to a spam of messages from Mammon sent during the night.

**You have 5 new messages.**

Mammon: Em I hope you’re okay! Why didn’t you summon me?!

Mammon: I could tear Levi limb from limb right now.

Mammon: Solomon told us everythin’

Mammon: I’ve never been this angry (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

Mammon: If Solomon does anything weird to you I’ll rip his head off ya hear?

I couldn’t help but laugh, Mammon was overbearing sure but he really cared for me. I quickly sent him a reply to let him know I was okay.

Em: Calm down! I'm fine

Em: I had a bit to drink and passed out ಥ_ಥ

Em: I woke up in Solomons bed

Em: Ah! not like that, he slept on the sofa!

I instantly regretted that text as soon as I'd sent it. I knew better than to mention something like that to Mammon of all demons. I scrolled through the other messages from everyone else and found myself frantically searching for one name in particular.

 _He hasn’t texted me...of course he hasn’t._ _What am I, stupid?_

 _Even Lucifer texted me and he tried to kill me a few days ago.._ I sighed and hovered over Levi’s profile picture, just staring off into it; wishing a message from him into existence.

“Should I call him?”

My finger trembled over the dial button and I found fear taking hold of me. I couldn’t do it in the end.

_He probably wouldn’t answer, even if I texted him he’s ignored every other message I’ve sent._

I slid my phone on the dresser next to me and rolled over, drifting back to sleep.

* * *

Solomon had returned with Simeon and Luke in tow a few hours later and Solomon suggested we'd move to somewhere more comfortable to talk. Well his room was quite cramped.

 _I have to get back and change out of these clothes..._

We stepped into the Angels dorm.

It was a beautiful, almost ethereal looking room, the walls were white and golden and there were many golden instruments around the room, it almost looked like an opera house. We all sat down on a large gold and yellow sofa; much like the one Solomon had in his room.

“I can’t believe the nerve, an underage human drinking alcohol in _our_ home? Those demons have corrupted her. I knew it! ....Just wait until I tell Michael about this!” the small angel barked.

Simeon smiled warmly as he noticed my eyes widening in fear. “Luke, it was an accident. Besides Em, you’re from England aren’t you?”

“Y-yes but how did you know that?”

“We’re angels...we know everything. Well, not everything. But your aura tells us a lot” Luke rolled his eyes.

“Then it’s not a crime. I believe Em has passed the legal drinking age. She hasn’t committed any sins.”

“Oh...well okay, but still Solomon should know better!” Luke shot a glare at the white haired sorcerer.

“It’s my own fault, I didn’t think she would be so eager, I take full responsibility, happy now?” Solomon leant over and ruffled Lukes golden hair.

“Oi! Don’t touch me!” Luke blushed awkwardly and slapped his hand away. “Anyway we still want to know why you’re here. What did those demons do to you!”

I sighed as my amusement died, and began to tell the angels everything. Solomon just remained quiet as he’d already heard everything the night before. Luke couldn’t stop ranting and rambling about how evil demons were, how they couldn’t be trusted and he never liked Leviathan anyway. 

Simeon just listened as he sat on the end of the sofa, then he closed his eyes and smiled again, instantly washing me with a calm, relaxed aura. “I don’t think Leviathan meant it, Em. He didn’t strike me as that sort of person when we met.”

“Ugh how can you defend a demon of all things, Simeon”

“Wait, did you see his aura?” Solomon looked oddly intrigued about this.  
  
“We can see a human's aura and get a lot of information about the person, but demons and anything associated with magic are...tricky ” the dark skinned angel kept smiling as he explained, but I sensed a hint of irritation in that calm tone.

I couldn’t help but notice that Solomon looked a little relieved as his lip twitched. 

“Oh…”

“If it puts your mind at ease, Em. None of the brothers are evil, that much we can tell. They just lost their way.”

“Well I still don’t buy it, they’re demons. Lost souls or not they’re jerks and they fell from grace for a reason.” Luke crossed his arms and spat air. "And they're not even real brothers..."

Solomon snapped his head up "Wait, they're not?"

"Nope, they were created at the same time. That's it." Luke rolled his eyes once more. 

"Oh...that's interesting"

"Yeah and Satan was never an angel to begin with"

"Huh, seriously?"

"Nope. After they fell Satan was born out of Lucifers wrath"

"Wouldn't that make Lucifer..Satan's..father?" I scrunched my face up in confusion trying to work out the relationships of everyone. Solomon looked like he was in the middle of an important exam, and Luke just looked annoyed at all the talk of the brothers.

Simeon sat back and laughed at us all "I guess it would make more sense if they were father and son, but they're actually more like brothers, or twins infact. Complete opposites." he smiled at me and itched his ear. "It's best not to overthink it."

My thoughts suddenly shifted to Beel and Belphie, wondering if they were both okay. Beel was already blaming himself for Levi's behaviour and I hope he didn't blame himself for me staying here last night.

“O...k..what..what were they like in the Celestial Realm, was Levi..different?” I felt my heart pang once more and my ears went hot. "Did they look different?"

_I want to know what Levi was like as an angel, what all the brothers were like..._

“Hold up Simeon! You can’t tell a human anything about that; it’s forbidden!” Luke stamped his feet and shot a warning glare up at the tall dark haired angel, he practically had to stand on his tiptoes to get the message across.

 _But Luke you just told everyone about Satan being born out Lucifers_ _wrath_.

Simeon laughed “Calm down Luke, I haven’t even said anything.” Then he looked back at me. “You’re quite fond of him aren’t you.” 

“W-well..I..uhh.. Of course, Levi is...was..my friend..” I dug my nails into my jeans “at least I thought he was.”

“Let’s stop talking about them now, can’t you see it’s upsetting her?” Luke rolled his eyes and huffed.

“Yes, sorry my apologies. Em are you going back to the House of Lamentation today? You’re welcome to stay here for a little longer of course.”

“Oh I really shouldn’t, I don’t want to overstay my welcome..but-"

“But? Em if you don’t feel comfortable going back just say the word. I actually think it’ll be chaos there today and I don’t want any of them lashing out at you.” Solomon perked up, it had been a while since he had last spoken.

“Well..thats...true.”

_He was right, after Beel had lost his temper my room had been destroyed, and then Lucifer...well Luke knew all too well about that. I wonder if he had told Simeon what happened._

“Then it’s settled, I’ll come with you so you’re so safe. I know how to handle myself around a demon.” he clapped his hands together and we all stood up.

* * *

I’d only been gone a night but it felt surreal walking back into those halls. The corridors stretched endlessly and I felt like somehow it was taking longer to get to mine and Beels room. We were still waiting on repairs after all, I’d practically moved in with Beel now much to Mammons' chagrin.

We finally reached the second floor and my heart stopped along with my legs. Levi’s room was just a few doors down and I could already see the dark blue door in the distance.

_How can you be so close to me yet so far at the same time?_

Solomon coughed, knocking me out of my trance. “Em just grab the necessities, we have everything you need in Purgatory Hall, we will be back out of here in a flash.” he put his hand on my shoulder; I must have stared too long down the corridor.

I opened the door holding my breath and remembered that everyone would be in class right now, thankfully I’d have some mental preparation before facing the brothers again. I darted over to Beels bed and grabbed a small purple rucksack, shoving any of my clothes I could get my hands on. I just wanted to get out of here before someone saw me, I wasn’t ready to face any of them yet.

But I couldn’t help but feel a pang of guilt, especially towards Beel. They’d all comforted me these past few weeks and here I was running away from them, just as Levi had.

_I’m such a coward._

“Are you finished?” Solomon knocked on the already ajar door, looking at me with a concerned expression.

“Y-yeah I’m all set”

“Okay, let’s go, it’s just for one more night Em, they’ll be fine.”

I slung the rucksack over my shoulder and we made our way hurriedly out of the House.

We were almost out of the door before I heard a sultry voice behind us. My heart skipped a beat, I wasn’t ready to face any of them yet.

“Em? Where are you going?” It was Asmodeus. He was wearing his uniform so must have just gotten back from class, his eyes darted back and forth between me and Solomon and then he saw my bag. “Are you..moving out?”

“Huh? Oh no, no Asmo you’ve got it all wrong. I’ll only be gone another night, I just needed some of my things.”

“It’s my fault Asmo, I was worried for Ems safety...you understand right?” Solomon flashed a toothy grin at the smaller demon brother who instantly smiled back.

“Oh Solomon! You should’ve warned me you were coming, I wanted to look nice for you~” Asmodeus said suggestively.

Solomon kept a friendly demeanour but looked very uncomfortable. “Hah...yes. I’m sorry it slipped my mind.”

“It’s okay, I’ll forgive you, but only because it’s you~” Asmodeus’ tone changed as he locked his salmon coloured eyes on me. “Just don’t stay away from us for too long alright? I know things are awkward right now, but we’ve gotten really attached to you. And my door is always open if you need me.”

“Thank you, Asmo” I pulled him into a hug and he giggled. 

“Oh Em, you should tell me before you do things like that~” he winked playfully, making me laugh. Asmodeus was flirty and playful but deep down he had a good heart, Simeon was right none of the brothers seemed evil.

He sighed and flicked his light brown hair “You should get going if you don’t want a welcome party, you know I say I love drama but this has gone on for too long...” 

“I know....I miss laughing and joking with.. with everyone.” I bit my tongue down.

Solomon excused us both and we made our way back to Purgatory Hall; creeping past the Academy so no-one saw us.

* * *

When we returned I found the Angels had prepared their room for me and left some spare bathroom essentials, A shower sounded like heaven right now, no pun intended. it'd help wash the stress away from the past 24 hours. I grabbed my things and closed the bathroom door.

I hadn't even noticed that my DDD was flashing and I was greeted with many messages when I returned.

**Private chat between: Em, Lucifer, Asmodeus, Satan, Beelzebub, Mammon.**

Asmodeus: @Em I hope you're okay! 

Asmodeus: We all miss you <3

Lucifer: @Em, if Solomon does anything inappropriate you know where to find me.

Lucifer: We all await your return.

Beel: @Em :( I bought us donuts

Beel: I'll try to save you some, but you know I can't help myself...

Beel: Please don't be gone too long :(

Satan: Em if you need any reading material whilst you're staying with the Angels just let me know.

Satan: Abaddon said someones covering your shift at the Library tonight, so no need to worry.

Mammon: So ya stayed over in Solomons bed then ya come here and pack your things?!

Mammon: What the hell did ya drink! Have ya gone crazy!

Mammon: Do I have to knock Solomons lights out too?

Mammon: Because I will! 

Em has joined the chatroom.

Em: Thanks everyone, I miss you and I promise I'll be back tomorrow T_T

Em: @Mammon Solomon didn't touch me! 

Em: I'm in Simeon and Lukes room tonight, so no need to worry <3

Em: Don't worry about the donuts Beel, you need them more than me!

Em: I'm gonna go now, Simeon and Luke want to talk some more.

Em: Oh I'll be sure to ask about the camping trip!

Mammon: Just remember you can always summon me and @Beelzebub if you need us, okay?

Mammon: You're coming to class tomorrow right?

Em: I should be ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Lucifer: Just let me know if you don't feel upto it.

Lucifer: But make sure you study at the very least.

Em: Thanks @Lucifer! I'll be sure to let you know.

Satan: Have a good evening @Em.

Asmodeus: Dream of me tonight ~

Lucifer: Pleasant dreams.

Beel: @Em T_T thank you, I'll buy more tomorrow and we'll eat the whole damn case together :D

Beel: Have a good evening!

Em has left the chatroom.

_What did he mean knock his lights out too..._

_Mammon, you didn't fight with Levi as well, did you?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I miss writing for Levi, can you tell :')  
> Another chapter that took me quite a few re-writes until I was happy with it. I tried to slide in the Satan/Lucifer thing naturally too! 
> 
> Next chapter will be back to Levi <3


	21. Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Em have a much needed moment of fluff.

Levi had no idea what he was going to say to her. He just knew that he needed to make it right, whatever the cost. She could hit him just as hard as Mammon had for all he cared right now.

As he approached the gates to the Academy he felt his knees give out, he was terrified. He didn’t like leaving the House and with the added pressure of apologizing to Em it just sent panic through him.

_I have to be brave, I have to become someone worthy._

His heart started pounding as the doubts flooded in. 

_What if she doesn't want to talk to me ever again?_

_Oh hell, I didn’t think this through, maybe I should just apologize over the DDD._

“No, I can do this!” he clenched his fists and stared at the floor as he continued walking. He was so close to her now, he could practically hear her calling out to him.

“Leviathan?”

_Huh_

_“_ Leviathan? Is that you?” It hadn’t been his imagination, Em had spotted a purple blur walking up to the Academy gates, and had recognised the orange hoodie. 

“Em?” He snapped his head up in surprise. Words failed him, what in Devildom was he supposed to say right now, she had stormed out and been so angry with him that she’d broken his door and then spent two nights away from him. He hadn’t noticed her getting closer to him until he opened his eyes.

“Wah!” He yelped in surprise.

S-s _o close!_

“S-sorry...I wasn’t sure it was you at first and- wait. Why are you here...” The memories of his attitude just a few days ago rang in her mind. But the Leviathan infront of her seemed softer like her best friend had been, or the best friend she thought she had.

“Em... I came to see you, I- I’m so sorry, I was a complete asshole. I...I can’t tell you what happened yet, but please know I didn’t mean anything I said.”

She remained silent, trying to process her emotions. On one hand she was overjoyed to see him especially as he seemed back to his old self, but for those same reasons she was furious right now. How dare he turn up thinking some half assed apology was going to make everything okay with them. 

_Why isn’t she saying anything..._ He was just about to continue his rambly apology when she snapped her head back up at him; anger in those green and blue eyes.

“You complete, utter idiot!” she clenched her fists and tears streamed down her face. "Do you have ANY idea how worried I was about you? I had to relive Nate dying all over again!" she scoffed. "Even if you didn't mean it, those 12 days without you? I felt like shit. Look at me!" 

Em gestured to herself, the tangles in her hair and the unkempt appearance, the dark circles under her eyes and even the way they’d lost their usual sparkle. “I was a complete mess after what you said...I even thought about throwing that keyring away..” she admitted regretfully.

Levi didn't know what to say, but he couldn't help but look around frantically at the crowd that was started to form around the dramatic emotional outburst. "Em I-I really think we should talk so-"

She snapped her head back up at him."I'm not finished yet! All those times you could've just picked up your damn DDD and called me, or messaged me to at least let me know you were okay! And your brothers! I know you guys have an odd way of showing how you care but everyone, even Lucifer was worried about you! He went to see you a few times...and me..my hands were red raw from the amount of times I knocked on that door.”

“I-I was just scared. I-” he had no words to express how sorry he was for his actions or his hurtful words towards her.

_I’m so sorry Em….I didn’t think how it would affect you at all._

_I’ve been so selfish._

“Leviathan..Friends talk to each other when they have a problem..or was that part really true?” She stepped back, clutching her chest from the outburst and shut her eyes. “Am I the only one who thought that we were friends..”

“Of course we’re friends!” Levi took a step towards her and held his arm out timidly.

The raven haired girl glanced up at his arm reaching out for her and threw her own hand to her arm, fidgeting uncomfortably at the eyes around them. “Did you even think about me..that whole time? W-why did you have to take it out on me..I had Mammon, Beel, Asmo, Satan, Lucifer and Solomon but I felt SO alone without you.” tears started to fall. “If I’m honest with you..I was even starting to think of moving out, I didn’t know how I would face you every day for the next however many months I have left..if you hadn’t come to see me.”

“Y-you wanted to move out?” a pang of guilt hit him in the chest like one of Mammons punches. “Em...you can hit me if you want, if it makes you feel better. I’d deserve it...just not this cheek okay? Mammon already beat you to it”. He rubbed his cheek and turned the other one towards her, wincing in preparation for at the very least a hard slap. And then he heard laughter.

He opened his eyes and she was laughing in an almost angelic tone.

“I’m sorry, I just...I’m SO angry with you but I’m...I’m so happy to see you back to your old self again” she couldn’t take it anymore, she threw her arms around him and embraced him. "I've missed you so much."

“E-E-Em?” Levi tried to digest what just happened, she had shouted at him, called him an idiot, laughed in his face and somehow he was now wrapped in a warm embrace. He thought about it for a second and then wrapped his arms around her, trying to control himself as he pressed her body into his.

_...I’m so happy to have her in my arms again._

_I’ve missed you too._

“I’ve missed you too…” he whispered as he fought back his own tears and rested his head against hers.

The crowd around them finally filtered out, disappointed with the lack of violence or drama. It was now just some soppy love scene and that wasn't interesting at all to the demon students.

It felt like time stood still, Levi and Em just stayed locked in their embrace for a while, neither one of them wanting to ruin the moment. Unfortunately they knew that they couldn’t freeze themselves in time. Levi was the first to speak.

“I...I got your gift. Em.. I..thank you so much.” 

_No one has ever bought me something before..._

_I really am an idiot._

Em looked up into his eyes, finding herself staring a little too much. She’d never seen the full extent of his face before, she had previously told him she found him the most attractive of the brothers; it hadn’t been a lie. But as she was able to get a good look at him; she couldn’t lie to herself, he looked adonic.

Feeling her heart racing she pulled herself out of the hug, they’d been embraced for an embarrassingly long time anyway “Y-you didn’t throw it away?” 

“Why would I throw it away...” 

_I mean I tried and I couldn’t, but that’s probably not the best thing to say right now._

Levi was both disappointed and grateful the hug had ended, it had been some time since he was in such close proximity to her and he had gotten a little too happy with the warm embrace.

“Because when I came to see you..I saw all the notes I’d left you thrown in the trash. A-and I tried to call you so many times and got no response.” 

“...I’m sorry, I know it’s not enough, it never will be. But I’ll make it up to you I promise.” He locked eyes with her, praying that she’d heard the sincerity. 

She bit her lip and thought about it, and decided ultimately whatever had happened between him and Beel didn’t matter anymore; he was thousands of years old so a few weeks of isolation in his mind was two seconds to her. 

“Yes..you will.” she furrowed her brow and then a smile spread across her face. “Because we still haven’t finished watching Season 1 of One Thing.” 

His face lit up. “Y-you mean you forgive me?!”

“...I haven’t forgiven you totally, you said some really hurtful things to me Leviathan.”

“Em...call me Levi, please.”

“Sorry...Levi, I-it’ll take time before I can forgive you completely. But I want my best friend back, so I’m willing to put it behind us, I don’t need to know what happened with you and Beel but...I hope you’ve made up with him too”

“Em...thank you. I did talk to Beel this morning at breakfast" He cringed remembering the awkward confession. "and I think we’re all good now, Mammon and the others are still angry...I don’t blame them. I’m angry with myself and I will be for a very long time”. He looked down in shame, he would be beating himself up about this for the next hundred, no one thousand years at least.

 _Even when you’re long gone..I’ll be thinking of you._ He gazed down at her with a somber smile on his face.

Em noticed his almost lonely expression and wondered what he was thinking about in that moment. “Levi? Everything okay?”

“Huh? oh..yeah, soooooooo do you want to come and watch One Thing in my room?” 

“Sure!”

* * *

Leviathan has logged on.

Satan: So...?

Leviathan: So?

Satan: Did you apologize?

Leviathan: Oh...yep! ^^

Satan: Care to expand on that?

Leviathan: Nope ^^

_I'd rather not tell them how a human girl gave me the biggest tongue lashing of my life._

_They'd never let me live it down._

Leviathan: I just came to say we’re marathoning One Thing in my room

Leviathan: And Em’s DDD has ran out of power

Leviathan: So she’ll be back in her room later.

Lucifer: I still want to talk to you at some point @Leviathan

Lucifer: But I am pleased to hear you finally apologized.

Lucifer: If you upset Em again **I won’t hesitate to throw you in the dungeons and leave you to rot for a few hundred years**. :)

Satan: @Lucifer, let them enjoy themselves for one evening.

Satan: We’ve had too much chaos around here.

Asmodeus: Oooooooh have fun you guys~

Asmodeus: But seriously, we’re glad the drama is over.

Asmodeus: Don’t be stupid again :)

Leviathan: I’ll try to remember that, thanks ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Leviathan: Anyway gtg, Ursop finally joined Muffys pirate crew and they’re on their way to an island of treasure!

Satan *sigh* we’re glad you’re back brother.

Leviathan has gone offline.

He smiled down at the messages from his brothers, he was glad to be back to his old self too. Em had gotten changed out of her uniform and was now wearing black jogging pants and a plain white tshirt, she was sat on Levi’s navy sofa waiting patiently for him to stop texting so they could continue the show. The walk back together had been a little awkward at first but they soon fell back into their otaku nature, she had so much to tell him and he shared his experience with the dating sim game.

“Leviiiiii, you’re killing me!” she jokingly complained. It felt so good to be back in his room laughing and joking with him again.

“Sorry, sorry! I just didn’t want them bashing down my door and stealing you away from m- from the animé.” he put his DDD on silent and back in his pocket. "Okay now what episode were we upto..." he fumbled about awkwardly with the remote and sat down a little further away, it was too soon to go completely back to normal and after that emotional display earlier he wanted to give her a little bit of space.

_Just not twelve days of space._

“You’d better get used to that word because I’m going to make you apologize for as long as I’m here.” she had laughed but the words had struck her chest painfully. She would have to make the most of her time here with everyone.

Levi also felt a pang, but didn’t want to ruin the good atmosphere between them. He looked over at her as she smiled at him and met her gaze, she tilted her head in confusion as he said nothing.

_I'm never going to hurt you like that ever again, I still can't believe you're back here in my room with me after what happened._

_I really am truly sorry._

She snapped her head back to the TV as an exciting scene came on. _“_ Oh, look, look they’re finally painting the sails!” 

_I love you, more than you’ll ever know._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A short chapter today, I could've made it a lot longer but I thought short and sweet was the best way for this long awaited reunion.  
> And yes I am aware this is a cheesy as hell story, but I love my cheese <3 
> 
> There's going to be a timeskip soon, more plot stuff is on the way. I am still slowly building Levi's confidence up so if you're expecting a confession anytime soon I'm sorry.


	22. Inappropriate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Lucifer have a chat. Later the same night Em goes to visit Belphegor.

Levi's POV. 

Lucifer: I need to see you

Lucifer: My office now.

Lucifer: Come alone.

Leviathan: Yes sir!

_Ugh, I’m dreading this.._

The moment had finally come, he’d gotten away with it the other night on the basis that he and Em repaired their broken friendship but Lucifer demanded to see him; and when Lucifer wanted something he always got it.

Levi took a deep breath and knocked on the mahogany coloured door. It wasn’t everyday his older brother summoned him and the fact he’d teased him about knowing why he was jealous scared the daylights out of him.

“Ah, you’re finally here.” the door swung open and Lucifer stepped out wearing his black and red waistcoat and cloak. 

“Are you going somewhere? You’re not normally uhh...dressed up.” Levi remarked.

Lucifer pinched his nose “Diavolo has sent for me so I don’t have a lot of time; he wants my help to plan a gathering; and he wants it in a few weeks time just before the group retreat, if it is still happening...” he smirked. “Come in and make sure the door is locked.”

_Why..why lock the door? Oh god is he going to beat me up as a punishment.._

Levi couldn’t hide his fear and his pupils shrank, as he clicked the lock down. 

Lucifers office was a large almost homely two story room, as he walked in he was greeted by a huge fireplace; two red sofas were set in the middle of the room sitting atop a patterned red rug. And a cows skull hung over the left wall various sized bottles sat on the shelves beneath. Leviathan whistled; it was not often he was called into the office and it never failed to impress.

“Right. Sit down and shut up.” Lucifer gestured towards one of the chairs, and sat down in the other.

“O-okay..” he did as he was told, and set himself down; an arms length from his intimidating sibling and his short temper.

"So I see you and Em finally made up, care to tell me what exactly your little tantrum was about?" His brothers piercing gaze deepened and Levi stared straight ahead, trying to distract himself from the knowledge of what power Lucifer had. "I already have my suspicions, but I'd rather hear it from you first."

There was no answer and Lucifer exhaled again, he had been dreading this day. He smacked both hands down on his coffee table between them, making his purple haired brother jump. “Leviathan, do you harbour inappropriate feelings towards Em?” 

Levi remained silent. 

_Well...shit. I wasn’t expecting that._

“Leviathan. Answer me.”

“W-well I would, but you're the one who told me to sit down and shut up” he said sarcastically, aware he was playing with fire. In Levi's mind if he got on his brothers nerves enough then he would be thrown out of the room before the conversation led..there.

“ **Leviathan.”** Crimson eyes sparked, sending shivers down Levi’s back.

“Define ‘inappropriate” he smiled innocently.

“Oh for the love of Mephisto... **Do you have any romantic feelings towards the human.”** he tried to keep his voice calm but his younger sibling was really testing his already little patience.

“Oh that’s what you meant LOL, nope!”

_Just play it cool, Lucifer’s oblivious when it comes to girls and relationships and stuff there’s no wa-_

“ **Leviathan. Don’t. Lie. To. Me.** I know you were jealous of Beelzebub. Why else would you have fought with him, demons talk around the Academy; apparently our brother had an unfortunate...accident with Emilia; involving the lips.” Lucifer shuddered slightly. feeling uncomfortable with the topic. He had dated in the past but not for many many years, that sort of thing wasn't suited for someone like him and all of his past experiences had met with the same ending; disappointment and boredom.

“Lucifer...can you not just say ‘Beel and Em kissed’ like a normal person LOL” Levi was panicking now, he either rambled or spoke in slang when he got nervous enough.

“ **You’re really pushing it. Do you want me to replace that cow skull with your own? Answer me, right now. Were you jealous.”** The impatient sibling pointed up sternly at the cow skull that hung on the wall and Levi gulped whilst holding his throat.

_I don’t think I can keep lying to him… he’s gonna lose it any moment now, but I could just not tell the whole truth?_

“I was jealous. But I don’t have romantic feelings towards her. Ems my friend, that's as far as my feelings go." the otaku felt his life hanging by on a thread. "Ruri-chan is still my one and only."

_It’s not a complete lie, and it’s enough to throw him off till I tell her how I feel._

“Hmmmm….are you sure? You get on extremely well. Almost too well….” Lucifer pondered it for a second, perhaps he had misread the situation. He wasn’t well versed in this sort of thing. From his point of view the two were always far too intimate for his liking and he started to suspect if they weren't fooling around behind closed doors then at the very least his brother was showing signs of affection for her, the timing of his fight with their glutton brother had sparked the most concern within him. But Levi had just reassured him slightly with the mention of Ruri-chan, and even Lucifer knew that no-one could compete with her for his brothers affections.

He combed the parting in his black hair and a small smile of satisfaction graced his lips. “Very well. But Leviathan, know your place. She’s human, she’ll be gone in a few months and you will remain here, with the rest of us...for eternity.” 

_Ugh stop bringing it up! I know okay, I know!_

_S_ _HUT UP._

“Understood.” Levi said in a monotone, not missing a beat.

“I am only telling you this because I don’t want you to get hurt.” Lucifer averted his eyes for a second so his brother didn’t see the pain behind them. He had been hiding a huge secret from his siblings for thousands of years now and was bearing the weight of the guilt.

“Huh? What’s gotten into you lol” Levi was genuinely shocked, as far as he was concerned his oldest brother had always been a stoic and emotionless robot. 

“It’s nothing. Anyway, get back to your room, I want a 30 page essay on Demon Law #616. That is your punishment for your irresponsible behaviour. I was going to lecture some more but I think for once..Mammon made the right call.” He threw a smug glance to the bruise on Levi's cheek and quickly ushered his brother out of the door, time was of the essence if he was going to make it to Diavolo's castle on time. And the last thing Lucifer wanted was to tell the Demon Prince the subject of this conversation. "If I have to involve myself with any more drama from you or if I hear of any more insulting our guest, I will have your head Leviathan, **is that clear**?"

"C-crystal!" Levi flashed a toothy grin and waved his hand enthusiastically, internally cringing at the way he had to act right now “Okey dokey, I'll leave you to it! Nice chatting with you big bro!” 

_Thank Mephisto that's over with, and he didn’t suspect a thing._

_At least I hope he didn't..._

* * *

As he was turning the corner Levi saw a familiar blur of black "Oh, Em; where are you going?"

"L-levi! I was..hungry so I sneaked into the kitchen." Em flailed about and stopped dead in her tracks, quickly pocketing a small doggy bag before Levi saw.

_She's so cute when she's flustered._

"Oh, well I was going to head there myself actually. Have you finished packing your things?" He matched her pace as they both walked down the long corridor, wanting time to slow down before they made it back to one or the others room.

"Nearly! I've really enjoyed my time with Beel but it's so nice to have my own space again; i-is that rude?"

"Not at all, I mean you're asking me of all demons, Em" he chuckled. "S-so are you free anytime tonight? I've still got to make up to you and I was thinking about it and.. well I'll show you when you next come to my room, okay?" he fidgeted with his hands. 

Since coming to terms with his feelings and now that he and Em were on semi good terms, Levi had become even more nervous around her. That much had been confirmed to him the evening they binged One Thing together after their very public display. Em had questioned why he was sitting so far away from her and apologized for yelling at him, gesturing for him to move a little closer so she didn't have to crane her head so much to talk to him. 

He had laughed it off and obeyed her command, but upon taking a seat closer to her realized all over again how he felt about her and even though it wasn't in his favour that confidence she exuded in her anger had attracted him a little. The pair had sat in silence mostly that night except a few small conversations about the events of the current episode that had played and Levi felt almost exhausted at the self control he had to have whilst just being in the same room as her, especially when they were alone.

"O-oh..I'm sorry I can't" Em bit her lip hoping he wouldn't take it personally. "I actually wanted to be alone tonight." She had to wait until everyone was asleep so she could sneak up and check on Belphie.

_She's still mad._

_Of course she is, you idiot._

_She even told you herself that she hadn't totally forgiven you._

Levi's head drooped a little in disappointment "Oh..okay then, another time?" They'd reached the end and the metallic kitchen door was smirking in his face. He really didn't want to have to say bye just yet, but it couldn't be helped. He had to tread carefully around her right now, whilst he proved to her how much her friendship meant to him.

"Definitely! I-I'll text you later" 

"Okay! Have a great night" he smiled warmly at her as his heart thumped in his chest and he waved her off reluctantly as he ambled towards the kitchen to make himself some food.

* * *

  
  
Ems POV.

“B-belphegor pssssst a-are you there?” Em crept up the forbidden staircase, Lucifer had finally left the building on important business with Lord Diavolo; they’d mentioned something about hosting a party and Lucifer was needed for planning.

“You woke me up....so, you remembered I existed eh?” A tall man with purple eyes and navy blue hair with white highlights yawned as he stood up. He was wearing a hooded shawl jacket with one blue and white striped pocket on the left side of the chest. On his lower half he wore mustard coloured pants and brown laced leather boots that reached his knees.  
  
The man was behind a veil of purple magic, trapping him inside a tiny box room adorned with many blankets and just near the window a large brass telescope stood. “And what do you mean am I here; where else would I go?” he rolled his amethyst eyes with irritation.

“I’m so sorry!” Em bowed apologetically. “A lot of stuff happened” she grimaced thinking about all the drama with Leviathan and Lucifer. “Well... a-anyway I’m here, and I brought your favourite.” she reached into her pockets and produced a small doggy bag, and passed it to him.

They had discovered on her last meeting by chance that objects could be passed through a tiny weakness in the seal, and it had started to get weaker since Em had made pacts with three of the other brothers.

He snatched the tied up napkin off her and tried to hide his delight “At least you brought the right stuff this time”. A small smile spread on his face as he threw the sushi into his mouth, savouring every bite. “So how are things with my brothers?” He paused for a second as his face grew somber “Hows Beel”

“They’re all doing well. Lucifer and I are getting on a lot better, I’m pretty sure Asmodeus has a crush on Solomon. Satan and I are always talking about books, Mammon looks after me...Levi’s fully recovered now too. And Beel..he talks about you all the time you know, he really misses you. But Belphie can I ask you something?”

Belphegor gritted his teeth. A human was referring to him by a nickname his beloved sister had given him, it disgusted him. And the way she droned on about his brothers like she’d replaced Lilith. He pushed the feeling down inside him and met Em with a warm smile. “Oh that’s good to hear, and sure; what’s up?”.

Em thought about it for a second, their time was limited together so she needed to ask a question that had been bugging her for quite some time “Why are pacts formed by kissing, is it something to do with the gateway of a soul?”

Belphie looked at her incredulously for a moment and then sneered “Pfffft, who told you that!” he sighed “It was Asmodeus wasn’t it...”

“Wait..it’s...not real?” Em matched his expression and scrunched her face up in confusion.

“Of course it’s not, what sort of fantasy world have you been living in? Honestly..you’re as bad as Leviathan with his delusions. Oh this is too good.” He held his hand on his head in amazement. “ I’m sorry but..have you actually been going around kissing my brothers? Huh, no wonder you get on so well.”

“W-well only on the forehead!”

_And Levi’s cheek..._

_And Beels lips. Ugh._

_Belphie...has a point._

“...You think a peck on the forehead binds two souls together?” Belphie was barely containing himself now, this was the funniest thing he’d heard in years. “I know humans had a lower IQ than us but, wow you’re something else.”

Em couldn’t believe what she was hearing, but then she thought back to her first pact. Mammon had been the first to mention it after she was attacked; he wanted to be there for her whenever he could be even if it meant making a pact with her. 

She remembered he’d been laughing a bit too much as he told her how a pact was formed and had initially chalked it up to embarrassment, and because she was new to the Devildom during that time she thought nothing of it. And with Leviathan he seemed to have been a little hesitant on whether it was the cheek or the forehead, now she thought about it a multi millennial aged demon should be very familiar with their own rules, even a shut-in like him.

But now she felt hurt, especially with Beel; her most recent pact. He could’ve very easily told her it was a joke and spared them both the traumatic experience.

_Why did Beel go along with it? He told me after that cringy kiss on the lips that he saw me as a little sister...and Levi.. I suppose I can forgive him._

_I still want to know why he did that, I could die of embarrassment right now I sat on his lap for god sake._

_But they lied to me..._

Belphie coughed, bringing her out of her self scalding. “So which one is it?” he mumbled as he noticed she’d been blushing.

“Huh?”

The navy haired demon sighed with contempt. “Honestly...remember this. We’re thousands of years old, you know. We’ve got more memories than you could possibly ever hope to fit in that brain of yours... You’re here for what a year?”

“Yeah...”

“Exactly, nothing but a blip in our timelines. My brothers are probably just fawning over you because you’re a novelty, don’t think you’re anything special to them”. he stated in a rather cold tone. "You're just a plaything, a toy for them. Especially Lucifer."

She couldn't help but flinch at the harsh words. Was she really nothing special to them, any of them? She suddenly remembered what Levi had said a few days ago; sure he’d apologized for it but was she really a toy to them all, just a plaything for a brief moment in their life?

Belphie noticed her body language and put on a puppy dog eyed facade. “But you’re special to me...you’re going to save me..from this place r-right Em?”

Em couldn’t stand seeing that pitiful expression, even though Belphegor insulted her half the time, she wanted the brothers reunited and happy. She was used to this kind of behaviour growing up with Nate, and she sadly believed that everyone could be redeemed; that everyone deserves a second chance.

She said nothing and nodded, still feeling embarrassed and a little hurt about the pact thing.

“There’s a good human. Now, you’d better get back before anyone notices you’re missing.” and with that the navy haired man ambled back over to his giant cow patterned pillow and turned away from her. “Oh. and...thanks, for the sushi.”

She awkwardly wished him goodnight and made her way down the stairs as fast as she could. His words about not being special to the other brothers had cut very deeply into her, but she couldn't break down and sob, not here.

Trying to keep her composure before she made it into the sanctuary of her newly refurbished bedroom she instead remembered her embrace with Levi from the other day. Seeing him out of his room , no seeing him in general had made her heart race. But was it because she'd not seen his smile in so long? Or was it the fact at first glance she thought he was someone else.

She had to admit that Levi looked extremely handsome with his new hair cut, it really brought out his features. But her heart had dropped on first glance of him and she could have sworn his purple hair was dark brown for a second.

_That's why my chest squeezed tightly when I saw him._

_Because I thought he was Nate._

As she opened her bedroom door her DDD pinged and she quickly silenced it, she didn't want anyone to hear her in the corridor. She carefully closed the door and sighed, flopping onto her new mattress.

**You have 8 new messages.**

Leviathan: Hey Em, sorry if I'm disturbing you

Leviathan: I just wanted to let you know that Mokepon have announced another DLC later this year ^^

Leviathan: Aaaand I know you're tight on grimm right now

Leviathan: so I've preordered it for you :)

Leviathan: No need to pay me back, consider it a gift.

Leviathan: Oh but that's not what I wanted to show you 

Leviathan: Anyway, I'm spamming.

Leviathan: Hope you're having a good sleep.

_I told him I wanted to be alone but..I just can't help myself._

Em: ASDFGHYJKI YOU DIDN'T!

Em: Thank you so much T_T

Em: But seriously you shouldn't have!

Em: You're really trying to get back into my good books aren't you ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

It didn't take long before she saw his name turn green as he logged online.

Leviathan: Oh! you're still up??

Leviathan: Sorry if I disturbed you, you didn't have to respond till morning you know ^^

Leviathan: But yes, yes I did.

Leviathan: Am I a little bit in your good books yet <3?

Em: Hmmmmmm you've earned a page.

Leviathans: Of how many?

Em: Hundreds :)

Leviathan: :( oh

Em: I'm kidding! LOL

Leviathan: lolol okay but seriously.

Leviathan: I really am sorry for the things I said, you mean much more to me than you think. 

Leviathan: And thank you again, for the pendant. I'll treasure it.

Em: You're welcome ^^

Leviathan: I'll let you get some sleep now.

Leviathan: Good night, Em.

Em: Good night, Levi

Em smiled down at the messages from him as she felt her body rise in temperature, which was weird because it was 2am so the Devildom was near freezing. Of course she was still a little annoyed he'd lied about the pact, but she'd ask him about it another time.

 _"You mean much more to me than you think"_

_Screw you Belphie, I'm not Levi's plaything at all._

As emotionally exhausted as she was after her encounter with Belphie, Em remembered something very important before she turned in for the night.

Em: Mammon you're dead.

Em: I read up on pacts

Em: And apparently you lied to me ಠ╭╮ಠ

Em: What do you have to say for yourself?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So my bad...I re read through Lesson 6-7 and I mixed the gathering up with camping trip. So we're doing both!  
> Party at Diavolo's and then camping trip...soon.
> 
> Also I made Belphie call me out lolol I'm sorry for forgetting you b-but the fluff! :( 
> 
> Next chapter there is a little time skip <3


	23. Nate

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Em tells the brothers about Nate and we finally get a little bit of her backstory.

Levi stirred in his sleep as his alarm went off. It was time for breakfast, he smiled at the thought of seeing his favourite human first thing in the morning.

_If only my damned brothers weren’t there too..I want to wake up next to her..every morning._

His heart picked up its pace and he got dressed in his uniform for a change, he had academy duties today with the other brothers; a meeting with Diavolo about the gathering.

Levi brushed himself off as he looked in the mirror, he didn’t feel comfortable at all in the black military jacket; it reminded him too much of the Celestial war so many years ago.

_It’s going to be so boring….ugh. But I can’t help but wondering…_

_What will Em be wearing for the party? Should I confess…? It would be the right mood, the right environment to do something like that but...no, we still need to fix our relationship._

He glanced back near his PC at the wing pendant perched in its case and decided as much as he hated waiting, that it wasn’t a good time right now.

As he slammed the door shut and started walking down the corridor his phone went off.

Mammon: I’m in big big trouble @Leviathan @Beelzebub

Mammon: Em knows I played a prank on her

Mammon: About the pact!

Levi almost walked into a dragon statue due to the shock coursing through his body right now. She had found out, and was probably furious with him and Beel too; as they went along with the prank.

 _Ugh...yeah definitely not the right time_. He smacked his head with his hand and felt extremely guilty as he turned the corner into the dining hall.

For the first time in his life Levi was the first brother there, and Em was sitting reading “Pretty Big Liars”. He cringed as he scanned the title; it was awfully convenient.

“M-morning, how did you sleep?” he nervously took a seat next to her, wishing he could go back in time and slap himself right now.

“Oh, Levi; good morning. I’m s-sorry I didn’t recognize you in your uniform, you look g-good” to his surprise and much relief she was acting normally with him, maybe he’d gotten away with it? And then she closed the book and sighed.

“Thanks” he smiled innocently.

“Levi….I know, about the pact.”

All colour drained from his face. “W-what do you mean?”

“Is..is there something you want to tell me?”

_Well yes but now is not the ti- oh wait she means about the pact, idiot._

Levi started fidgeting awkwardly, unable to meet her gaze as she sighed. “Levi.. I’m not angry at you, it was just a stupid prank...and we didn’t really know eachother as well back then. But I do want to know..w-why?”

“...Ugh it sounds so pathetic... I-I just wanted to have that experience is all…”

“Okay...but.” she stared at the cutlery, biting her lip as she prepared a very awkward follow up. “You could’ve easily lied and said it was a kiss on the lips. I-i know you’ve never been kissed before and well...I was shocked and a little relieved.”

“Relieved?” he looked at her confused, was the thought of kissing him something she found gross?

“Yes, that you didn’t go too far with the prank…a first kiss on the lips is something special” she blushed, but frowned slightly as memories flooded her brain. “So... I’m glad you didn’t waste it. But I do feel stupid because I probably would have believed that too.”

_But I’d love for you to be my first kiss…. It wouldn’t be a waste._

_Why can’t I tell you that._

_You’d laugh at me right?_

He felt a sharp pang in his chest upon her expression and response about the subject of first kiss. 

_Special huh...she’s talking about Nate right?_

_Well she did say he was her first kiss._

He clenched his fist.

 _What sort of guy was he, and...Em why don’t you talk about your life?_

_Should I even be throwing the word love around about someone I know nothing about?_

It was true, during her few months in the Devildom all the brothers really knew about Emilia was that she was born in England, moved to America with her father after her parents divorce and then returned to England around the age of sixteen, her father worked in marketing and her mother was a florist.

She never spoke about her school life, her friends, family or anything really. But Levi was aware she’d pushed herself from everything after Nate died so it was possible she just didn’t want to bring up those painful memories. 

_Nate must have been American...and then...after he died, her parents must have sent her back to England._

“Levi..? Everything okay?” Em tilted her head at the demon who had said nothing in a while but had a thousand yard stare on his face, looking deep in thought about something. He did it frequently but she couldn't help but be a little curious this time.

_Shit I spaced out again_

He quickly composed himself and reassured her“Em...you’re not stupid, I betrayed your trust. I-I’m really sorry” he flinched and then chuckled. “That’s starting to sound like my new catchphrase”

Em was caught off guard by the joke and started to giggle, she was just relieved he hadn't been torturing himself in his mind.“Pffft well...it’s okay. Just don’t lie to me again alright? You’re still repaying your first debt and I don’t want to have to add another…”

“Oh! About that...are you free later? I mean I totally understand if you don’t want to hang out after that whole pact thing but-”

“Levi” she giggled. “Yes I’m free, seriously I forgive you.” then her eyes widened. “Oh! I still haven’t checked out the details on the new DLC! I can’t wait! What sort of new legendaries do you think there’ll be, oh it's a new island too right?! Are we getting any more Mokepon? Ugh I still can't believe they took out the international dex!”

 _So cute_.

He laughed at her panicked ramble “I think they're adding a few hundred in....but you haven’t seen the news? Here, I was actually reading a theory last night when you messaged me” he slid his DDD out of his pocket and leant in close to her as they both scrolled through the various game news sites.

“Ooooh that looks cosy~ ” Asmodeus announced himself as he strolled in yawning, he couldn’t help but notice the early couple were sitting awfully close to one another and that his otaku brother had kept darting his eyes away from the phone to look at her. He pulled out the chair next to Em and sat down, grinning at the two.

Mammon was hanging back a bit by the door, talking to the kitchen demons and looked very uncomfortable. The other brothers soon followed, Satan waved indifferently to the three sitting at the table and Beel had already found the buffet table. Lucifer made his presence known and then slipped off to the kitchens, probably asking the chefs to prepare him something unique.

“Levi, I’m surprised to see you here before us” Satan smirked. He was usually the first one to the table admiring the brief peace in the morning but this morning he had been reading articles on cats and got lost for time.

“Y-yeah I was surprised myself.” he jumped away from Em noticing his flirty brother's huge grin.

“Sooooo you two look awfully happy” Asmodeus leant his head on his arms, elbowing the table. “What’s going on~”  
  


Levi shot a glare at his brother and then beamed. “There’s another Mokepon DLC coming out in October, so we were just reading up on it.” 

“Of course...its a game thing...ugh, well I do like that game even though I’m not very good at it.” Asmodeus shrugged.

“M-mornin’ guys!” Mammon finally approached the table, looking rather embarrassed. “Mornin’ Em!” he threw his hand up in the air waiting for a high five. Em shot him one glare and then turned her head back to the article. “Hmph.”

“O-oi, is this about the kiss thing?” 

“I don’t know, you tell me.” she spoke in a cold unforgiving tone. Levi couldn’t help but smirk, she was very cute when she was angry. But he didn’t want to get on her bad side again either.

“Kiss thing, what kiss thing? Ooooh Em did you make out with Mammon too? Wow you’re going through all of us, whens my turn~”

“M-make out?” Levi tilted his head in confusion, his eyes wide.

“Oooooh Levi’s jealous ~”

“S-shut up! I’m not jealous!” Levi turned scarlet red, trying to hide his face from Em. 

“N-no! Sweet Hades Asmo if you’re talking about Beel...we just bumped lips! I thought I made that clear...I-I’ve never done that sort of thing.”

_Oh phew, I got really angry for a second there and thought Beel played it down. Damn it Asmodeus, you’re going to be the death of me._

_“_ Ugh...why are you talking about that Asmo It was awkward for me too, something Em and I have put behind us, right Em?” Beel shot a knowing look over at Levi, he really didn’t want this subject to keep popping up.

“Yes, Beel and I are just friends, and it was an accident! I don’t like him like that.” she averted her gaze.

“Ooooh, now I AM curious, Em. Is there anyone you do like?~” Asmodeus was really pushing it today and Levi glared at him. “Oh what about Solomon? You two get along really well and you spent the night together right?”

_This isn’t happening right now, this can’t be happening. I do not want to hear this._

Em paused for a moment and then spoke “ Solomon is a great guy but...no..there’s no one. To be honest I’m not sure my heart is ready for those sorts of feelings yet.”

“What in Devildom are you talking about so early in the morning?” Lucifer had finally returned with a chamomile tea and a plate of croissants.

_Wait..not ready? Does that mean...I...I shouldn’t confess? But..I already have something planned._

Satan spoke up first. “What do you mean not ready?” he pursed his lips together. “Is this something to do with your friend from the human realm.” And Levi felt his body freeze.

Beel also remained silent and shifted awkwardly, remembering their conversation in Liliths room.

“Oi, Satan. Drop it.” Mammon had switched to protective brother mode, he knew Nate was a sensitive subject with her and she didn’t like talking about it. But she patted his arm and inhaled, she’d been keeping this secret from the others for a long time and knew sooner or later it would be brought up.

“Yeah...he was my first love.” she looked down sadly at the table, her eyes glazing over with tears. Levi wanted to rip Asmodeus and Satan from limb to limb for bringing it up and the other part of him wanted to hold her in his arms right there and then. 

“Ah. I thought so, it would explain all the books you’ve been reading.” Satan remarked, he hadn’t meant to sound cold but he was not well versed in this sort of thing. Infact his own break up with Abaddon had been due to the fact he didn’t express emotions very well. Something that would have easily been solved if he'd just told her how he felt, but unfortunately 200 years passed without them reconciling.

Em felt her face grow hot. He would’ve put two and two together eventually after all, all she read were tragic sappy romance tales. Asmodeus, Beel and Mammon all looked very uncomfortable, Lucifer just remained quiet and tried not to press matters. Then Mammon spoke up for his friend.

“Guys let's drop it, she doesn’t want to talk about him ya hear?”

“No...it’s okay Mammon… you’ve all been so patient and understanding with me, to be honest I didn’t want to bore you with my life stories.” she exhaled and closed her eyes. 

“It’s not boring at all Em, we’d love to know more about you; we just didn’t want to pressure you into telling us” Beel chimed in.

Em took another deep breath and shared her story. “As you know I moved to America when I was four years old, my father insisted on taking me to his hometown somewhere in Arizona. He had friends there, a man who he knew from work lived a few houses away and they had four sons. Liam, Noah, Elijah...and Nate.”

“I didn’t get a chance to meet Nate until his mothers funeral, Nate was a...troubled person. He stayed in his room all the time and obsessed over anime and manga.”

“ _Sounds like someone we know”_ Asmodeus whispered, earning a kick from Levi. 

“He was a very talented manga artist, but he refused to show anyone his work. He was always saying everything was pointless and life didn’t have any meaning. I tried my best to prove his life did have meaning but… a year before he died we went to a convention, I begged him to take his work and show a professional and..well...lets just say there was an incident. The artist told Nate he’d never make it into the business with such lacking empathy towards his characters, Nate lost his temper; and blamed me for trying to convince them that his work meant something. After we got back he trashed the room and threw...me...into the wall and I broke my wrist.”

_Holy shit Em…?!_

Levi felt his blood boiling, but he knew he’d have to keep calm for her sake, the others brothers all looked furious too and multiple horns were sprouting across the table.

Em noticed the brothers reactions to the violent act and started stammering. “H-he didn’t mean it guys, trust me he was a nice person he just...had a temper, worse than mine. Anyway, things were really awkward between us for a few weeks, then one day I tried to make it up with him...he collapsed. Whilst he was in hospital we made up, and he told me he was sorry but he didn’t want to get better and that he didn’t deserve to live in this world...his condition was treatable but I learned a few months after he died that he’d rejected any form of treatment. A-and a few days before he died….he kissed me.”

Beel had stopped eating, looking at her with a pained expression “Em…”

She sighed, reaching the end of her tale “I went to visit him the day before he died, and he told me I meant nothing to him, that our friendship was a lie. He told me that he only kissed me because he wanted to haunt me for the rest of my life….I..I like to think that was his way of telling me he loved me. But I never got to ask...or tell him. I got the call in the middle of the night...and he was gone. After he died I stopped talking to people and hid myself away, so my father thought the best course of action was to ship me back off to England and the rest you know... I developed a fear of getting to know people, and due to that phone call...its very hard for me to call people now."

“Oh...Em, I’m so sorry.” Asmodeus had a tear running down his cheek, he felt terrible for always teasing her and the fact he’d been the one to bring such a painful memory up. The brothers all looked incredulously at her.

“Em...I...I don’t know what to say. I knew ya really liked the guy...” Mammon bit his lip, he thought Nate was pure scum. But he knew it wasn't good to speak ill of the dead and being an ex-angel he still had a shred of decency.

“Em, I’m so sorry for bringing it up. Please accept my sincerest condolences...I won’t mention it again.” Satan frowned.

Em perked her head up and smiled.

“Thanks guys, you know I thought I would feel worse after telling everyone but...I feel a little better.” she wiped her tears with her sleeve and breathed in. “I’m..gonna go back to my room now, if that's okay. Have a good day guys” Levi stared after her as she walked off, he wanted to chase after her but sometimes it was better to be alone.

"You're excused from all lessons today, I'll let Diavolo know." was all Lucifer said.

The silence was deafening as the brothers sat there, soaking in Ems horrible story.

“I can’t believe...someone would do something like that.” Beel had tears in his eyes and had returned to comfort eating. “This Nate guy...I know it's rude to say but-”

“He was a horrible person.” Asmodeus finished Beels sentence. “Isn’t love meant to fill you up with joy? It sounds like all this guy did was hurt her and put her down…”

Satan spoke up after sighing. “Unfortunately, it’s all too common with humans, it sounds to me like he did care for her in his own twisted way. I just hope Em realizes that...that wasn’t love.”

The other brothers nodded in agreement. 

_Whatever it was, she thinks it was love. And...I’m a bit offended she sees me as someone that cruel. I’d never hurt her like that!_

_“_ _Why would I ever be friends with a human like you, don’t you get it? It was all an act. I merely pretended to be your friend because you were so pathetic I couldn’t help myself, I just wanted to play with you a little.”_

He winced at his past words.

 _Ugh...I DO sound like him...but I didn’t mean it I just..I didn’t want to accept the fact I felt that way._

And then it hit him. Nate did love Em, he probably just dealt with his feelings the same way that Levi had albeit a little more extreme, pushing her away because he was scared of the changes it was causing. And if Nate was dying then he wanted Em to hate him after he was gone, but all it had done was make her love him even more.

_Em. I need to show you a better side of me so you can’t keep lumping me in with him._

_I pity the guy...but it doesn’t excuse hurting you like that._

“Leviathan, you’re awfully quiet.” Lucifer had noticed his brother's unusual silence and raised an eyebrow “What were you thinking about?”

“I just...I’m shocked” 

“Yeah me too...that was definitely a downer first thing in the morning” Asmodeus sighed, he didn’t like sad stories. “Well...I’m going to head to class.”

“Yeah I’m gonna head back to my room… I need to watch some comedy anime or something after that.”

“When will you come out of that room…” Satan sighed.

“Hey guys..it might just be me but don’t cha think Levi and Nate sound kinda similar?”

_Mammon...not you too._

“Actually yeah, now you mention it...but I don’t think Levi would ever physically hurt Em.” Beel affirmed, he knew his brother had an equally short temper but he’d never hurt Em; especially as he knew Levi’s biggest secret.

“If he did he wouldn’t live to see the next day I’m tellin' ya that now.” Mammon started clenching his knuckles. “Levi I swear, I’ll punch ya so hard you’ll smack right into our father.”

The brothers dropped the subject, finished their breakfast with little to no more words spoken between them and attended their meeting.

* * *

Levi left Em alone with her thoughts that day and regretted it.

_I should’ve just been brave and gone to her, ugh._

He had been scared of comforting her when her head was filled with Nate, worried that if he had been there for her she would’ve started confusing him even more.

The next evening after her classes had ended he found himself at her door, holding a small box behind his back.

It was a Pyro figurine, collectors edition and very rare. 

_And very expensive…_

He could barely contain his nerves as she opened her door to him. “Levi! What are you doing here? Did you need something?”

“Oh sorry! Are you busy? I can come back later I-” 

“N-no its fine, come in. I was just watching Love is a Battle; have you heard of it? It’s this really cute romcom anime with two tsunderes who won’t confess to eachother because of their pride; you should come watch it with me, it's really frustrating because I just want to grab them and smash their heads together but I love it!”

“O-oh I’ve heard of it...haha” He smiled and sighed defeatedly as he closed the door behind them, she had her back turned to him now as she grabbed the remote to press play. “Em..I..I actually have something for you.”

“Oh?” she put the remote to the side for a second before she could resume the show.

“It’s..it’s your main apology present. I know I know that buying you stuff won’t make you forgive me, but I just saw it and thought you’d like it, so here.” he handed her the box and her eyes went wide.

She opened it and held a small green dragon figurine in her hand, feeling herself tear up. “L-levi thank you, but you didn’t have to!”

“I know...I wanted to though.” he blushed, looking at her with a lovestruck expression.

_I love her so much. I can barely contain it._

She snapped her head up and smiled at him “Well thank you but again you didn’t have to.”

“Well I wanted to! I can keep this up all night you know” Levi watched her place the dragon figurine proudly on her shelf and laughed, ruffling his bangs nervously.

Thankfully Em seemed more at peace with herself after telling everyone about Nate, and before they knew it two weeks passed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm definitely not trying to excuse Nates behaviour, the guy was a total dick! But I hope I made him somewhat a pitiful character :)


	24. Rivals

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Beel and Levi have a little chat, Em and Levi get ready for Diavolo's party.

Em: Ugh guys I’m really nervous

Em: I don’t like parties...or people

Em: And my dress looks awful T_T and I feel fat in it

Solomon: I’m sure you look fine Em

Solomon: I for one am looking forward to seeing you in a dress :)

Asmodeus: Em trust me you’ll look gorgeous~

Asmodeus: Solomon what are you wearing for the party~

Solomon: Oh just a black suit and some trousers.

Solomon: Nothin too fancy :)

Asmodeus: Ooooh I can’t wait, I bet you’ll look handsome too ~

Leviathan has logged on.

Solomon: Nice of you to join us.

Solomon: I was just telling Em that I can’t wait to see her dress :)

Leviathan: Oh really?

Leviathan: Me either ^^ 

Leviathan: Em I’m sure whatever you wear will look great on you. ^^

Em: Oh thank you guys ^^;;

Em; Is it bad that I just..don’t want to go LOL

Leviathan: Not at all ^^

Leviathan: In fact we could skip it and spend all night bingeing The Demon is a Part Timer? <3

Solomon: Or you could come and spend some time with me

Solomon: And Simeon and Luke of course. :)

_This guy..._

Asmodeus: OMG you two stop fighting over her, she's not a scrap of meat~

Asmodeus: Although I think she’s very juicy ~

Em: I’m..gonna go, I have a show to watch ^^;;

Em: @Leviathan if only we could :( 

Em: And yes @Solomon I’ve missed the angels! 

Leviathan: I’ll see you tomorrow then :)

Leviathan: Sweet dreams 

Solomon: Good night Em! 

Asmodeus: Dream of me ~~~

Em has gone offline.

_He likes her, I’m sure he does._

“Hah take that asshole, she didn’t say she missed you!” Levi stared down at his DDD with a smug expression on his face.

Ever since she stayed over at Solomons he’d been acting very hostile with him, and even after Levi tried to make amends with the sorcerer he just didn’t want to hear of it. When Em was around the two of them Solomon was laughing and joking just like normal, but if Levi and him were left alone it got...heated.

It had been a very busy couple of weeks, Levi had made the snap decision to pick his exercise plan back up and train with Beel again, he was just putting some running shoes on when his DDD rang.

**You have an incoming call: Beelzebub.**

“Levi! Are you ready? I’m not gonna let you quit this time you know that right?”

“Yeah, yeah I know….thanks for getting me back into this.” Levi leaned against his shelves, Beel always talked a lot over the phone.

“No problem, you’ve got it really bad for her don’t you?”

“Huh what do you mean?”

“Well, first you cut your hair and now you’re wanting to work out with me. You do know she likes you for who you are right, you don’t need to change yourself.”

“Ugh Asmo said the same thing..but it’s not just for Em. It’s for me too.. I..I always had my bangs covering my face because I didn’t want people looking at me, and now…” he blushed, looking at his face in the still cracked mirror.

_I have to get that fixed soon_

_"_ Wait does Asmo know? I swear I haven't said a word!"

"Oh no he doesn't know, I mean.. I haven't told him, but awhile ago I went for advice and he told me I sounded like someone in love".

Beel laughed on the other end. “The bangs I understand, I always thought they got in your way a bit. But is this working out for her sake or yours?”

“Both really...I know muscles and biceps won’t get her to feel the same way but I want to be someone strong who can protect her...and I’ve always been sort of...jealous of you”

“You're sickly sweet you know that? And I just ate cotton candy” He laughed again. “But as I’ve said before, Levi you need to work on your jealousy issues.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well..look how angry you got at even the mention of that….unfortunate kiss between me and her. And I’ve seen how you look at Solomon now; like you wish you could melt his face off with your eyes."

“But he’d deserve it! What sort of guy invites a girl into his bedroom and then gets her drunk?” 

“...You know you have a point. And I didn’t wanna say this because you’ll feel worse but, maybe Solomon has a thing for her?” 

“Y-you think so too?”

“Unfortunately yeah...he is REALLY nice to her, especially when you’re around. I think he’s jealous of you as well. “

_So it's not just me..._

“Well it would explain why he hasn’t spoken to me in awhile, it’s a shame though because I thought we could be friends.” he sighed, remembering the fun times he and Solomon shared, they’d watch TSL, play Mokepon together and do raids, but all of that seemed like a thing of the past now.

“Well..now he’s your love rival. And about that, are you actually planning on telling Em how you feel? Levi... it’s not just a crush is it...I've seen how you look at her”

“...this isn’t really something to talk over the phone about Beel LOL” 

_I really hope he's alone right now._ _Imagine the others finding out like this ugh._

“I know I just… hey don’t change the subject!”

“Sorry......and..no it’s not. I really do think I love her Beel” Levi sighed staring up at the ceiling wistfully. “I know I don't have anything to compare this feeling with and I don’t want to get too cringy but when I think about her, which is constantly by the way. I feel so warm and light...like I’m back in the Celestial Realm flying over the citadels.”

“Levi…” Beel was glad he asked over the phone right now because on the other end he was choking up.

“I know it’s...embarrassing, but I don’t think I can tell her..not after that morning”

“You’re on about that Nate guy right?”

_Ugh, don’t mention that name._

“Yeah… she isn’t over him, and I haven’t told you this but...she compares me with him constantly”

“Wait seriously?!”

“Yep.”

“Thats...that’s not good.”

“I know it’s not… I read up on it, it's a way she processes her grief. I constantly remind her I’m not him but...I’m worried.”

“Yeah...I mean I don’t really understand it but, you’re not like that guy at all Levi. From the sounds of it the only things you do have in common with him is the fact you like games and anime, that’s it. I just think Em...needs time or something to realize that.”

“How much time though...she’s only here for a year. Plus you heard her; she said she doesn’t like anyone that way.”

“I guess you’ll have to make her fall for you” Beel paused for a second and then raised his voice in a more cheerful manner. “SO you better get your ass to the lake pronto. I'm gonna make you work so hard your clothes will hurt tomorrow!”

“Ugh...Yeah I’ll see you there.” Levi hung up and finished getting ready, jogging out of the House.

* * *

“Ugh, every bone in my body is killing me...Damn Beel.” Levi had just gone for another swim in the lake behind the House, he’d gone alone this time as yesterday Beel had been constantly shouting embarrassing things like “do it for her” or just chanting "Levi Levi Levi” and it broke his concentration as he did laps.

Beel was a good motivator but Levi needed to do this right and slowly get into it at his own pace. 

He had just finished getting ready, his bangs were swept to the side and he was wearing a navy blue suit, dress shirt with a purple tie and blue pants to match. On his feet he’d chosen to wear some dark brown loafers. Even he had to admit he didn’t look half bad as he twirled and did a dramatic tug of his blazer in the mirror.

_Oh jeez that was cringy, I’m glad no one saw that._

_Well, we need to be at Diavolo’s castle soon...Ugh I’m so damned nervous. And I’ve not heard from Em at all! Should I go see her?_

**You have 3 new messages.**

Em: Levi I don’t think I can go

Em: I’m so scared T_T

Em: I just..I can’t face all those demons and demonesses! 

Leviathan: Woah woah, Em calm down

Leviathan: Are you okay? Do you need me?

Leviathan: Don’t forget you can always summon me, it’s quicker than me runnin ^^

Em: T_T would you mind?

Leviathan: You’re the one that said I need to come when called :)

Leviathan: but no of course I don’t mind.  
  
Em: I forgot how to do it T_T  
  
Leviathan: LOL just picture me in your mind and wish I was there right now, but like wish really hard and say the weird latin, you don't have to but I think it helps?   
  


A white flash almost like lightning and there he was. The grey wallpaper around him now confirmed she’d been successful in her attempt, however Em was nowhere to be seen.

“Don’t..don’t look yet okay?” a small muffled voice could be heard from the bathroom.

“O-okay? I’ll turn around and face the door.” He did as he said and faced the bedroom door, chuckling to himself about how cute she was.

“Okay...I’m coming out”

“....Em can I turn around now?” He craned his head around and his breath got caught in his throat.

Em had her hair tied up in a loose bun with some ringlets dropping down the sides of her face and was wearing a royal blue a-line off the shoulder dress, it complimented her hair colour and green ringed blue eyes exceptionally well, on her feet she wore silver kitten heels.

For once she’d put on some makeup, a smoky eyed look and blush coloured lipstick. Em wasn't the best at applying it and maybe it didn't quite match but she'd done her best through the use of Deviltube tutorials. Regardless Levi's breath was taken away from her appearance due to the fact the girl was always wearing casual clothing like tshirts and jeans.

“....You...look…” He said in almost a whisper.

Em grimaced and hid her face with her hands. “Ugh…..does it look awful? I feel really uncomfortable right now...just be honest, please.”

_She looks…beautiful_

“You look...beautiful” He hadn’t realized he said that out loud. Em turned as red as a tomato and after a few seconds they were a punnet as his own words reached him. “A-ah I’m sorry I..I..just hahah”

_I really mean it though._

Her loose strands of hair bounced off her shoulders as she laughed nervously “T-thank you. I’m still not sure about it though.” finally comfortable with her own appearance due to the reaction, she was able to take Levi’s own look in. “Wow...Levi you look...h-good too” it was her turn to be speechless now and her mouth fell open.

“Thanks…” he was worried he didn’t have enough blood in his system for another blushing episode. “A-anyway! Are you ready, we can go together if you don’t feel comfortable, uh I mean not _together_ together I mean, well we’re going _together_ bu-”

She doubled over in laughter as he calmed her nerves with his rambling and held her sides. “Levi…stop! I know what you meant” she smiled and played with her loose curl. “B-but.. I just realized, we’re both wearing blue”.

“O-oh? What does that mean?” he frowned and tilted his head innocently.

_Is that a human only thing? I can’t think straight right now._

Em bit her nails, trying to find the appropriate wording. “Well..c-couples sometimes match outfits for these sort of things, ah not that i’m saying we’re a couple or anything, I mean we’re a couple of people, well technically you’re a de-” she stopped in her tracks and then giggled again “pfffft I just did the exact same as you, I swear you’re contagious!”

_C-couples?  
I'm contagious?_

“H-hey you make me sound like a disease or something” He fidgeted nervously and hung his head. “So is that a no to going together, I mean if you don’t want to be seen with a demon like me, I get it.”

“Levi…” She gingerly walked over to him and nodded, extending her hand out. “L-lets go.” 

With his own hand trembling he grabbed hers and squeezed reassuringly. “Y-yeah.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry I have no fashion sense LOL  
> I googled so many looks :| 
> 
> I swear they're just so goddamn adorable! Can you tell what I've been setting up for a while now ;)


	25. Small Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group finally arrive at Diavolo's party.

As they walked down the stairs to the main foyer Levi’s hand got very clammy and he let go of her as Lucifer struck his gaze. All of his brothers were there waiting for the two of them.

_Shit, I have to make sure he doesn’t find out….but why would it be so bad?_

“OH.MY.FATHER. Em you look gorgeous! See I told you, what did I tell you, guys say something~” Asmodeus practically toppled his purple haired brother over as he started bouncing and hugging Em. He was wearing a pearl coloured suit, white buttoned shirt and his hair was slicked back with just a few strands of his bangs left to glide over his face.

“T-thank you Asmo, you look lovely too” Em couldn’t help but feel slightly disappointed that Levi had dropped her hand so quickly when they met up with everyone else, but asked herself why she suddenly missed the feeling of his hand in hers.

“Ahhh Leviathan, and Em. **together** . _How nice_ .” Lucifer frowned at his brother. “Hope we weren’t **interrupting anything** "he had only seen it for a split second but he had caught a glimpse of the two holding hands and things looked a little too friendly between the “just friends”.

He suddenly changed his tone as he realized the others were staring. “Ah but Em, you look radiant.”then he turned back to his brother halfheartedly “You too Leviathan, you look **acceptable**."

_I look acceptable? Dude you look like a damned Fortvania boss._

_In fact just for that comment I’m going to remake that sprite in my game and give it YOUR outfit._ _HAH_

Levi said nothing but smiled at his brother innocently, little did Lucifer know he was cursing up a storm inside his head.

“T-thanks Lucifer...so do you!” Em took note of the oldest brother's black suit with a red shirt, black tie and black trousers; he had also slicked back his hair like Satan and Asmodeus.

“Oi! Don’t be silly, there’s nothin’ to interrupt, right Em?” Mammon stood forward also sporting a black suit, white shirt and black pants. He hadn’t changed his hair but had swapped out his tinted glasses for black sunglasses.

“Oh it’s not what it looks like, Levi was just helping me walk in these shoes!” Em bit her lip. She misread Levi’s angry expression for the others mistaking them as a couple and wanted to take the heat off him. 

_I knew it..she’s embarrassed to be seen with me like that isn't she?_

“Oh come on, don’t tease them. Em you look ravishing; you bear a striking resemblance of Elle from Beauty and the Monster.” Satan smirked, wearing a white suit with a lime green shirt. It complimented his blonde slicked hair quite well.

Em turned beetroot and stammered “O-oh my thank you Satan, that’s quite the compliment.”

Beel pouted near the door, he also had a black suit on with a white shirt but donned a blood red tie. “Guys...can we get going? My tummy hurts thinking about all that fancy food.”

They finished the rest of their pleasantries and set off to Diavolo’s castle, it was only a short walk through the marshlands near the Academy. The Devildom lit up below them as they strode across the cobbled paths snaking around the cliff-side, the terrain soon got rockier and unforgiving as the mismatched group approached their destination; Em was fumbling about in her heels cursing herself for not realizing they'd be walking and much to Levi’s chagrin Asmodeus walked arm in arm with the human girl the whole way there, helping her keep steady.

* * *

Leviathan had been to Diavolo’s castle many times during his time in the Devildom but it just looked grander and more enchanting tonight. It was almost like a gothic cathedral, gargoyle statues littered the walls above, the ceiling oozed with grandeur.

"W-wow it's like something from Attack on Giant!" Em exclaimed, her jaw dropping to the floor. "I hope there's no military police around here" she laughed whilst pretending to keep a lookout.

"LOL right? Doesn't it remind you of the Kings Castle in Wall Mina?" Levi chimed in with equal enthusiasm.

 _This girl is_ _perfect._

The other siblings groaned as Em and Levi went into full detail about the upcoming final season as they passed at the very least one hundred rooms, all looking as equally resplendent. 

"We're gonna watch it together right? the whole thing! Oooh and then we can watch the dubbed version after it!" Levi was in his element right now, the only thing missing was a big tv screen and being in the comfort of his own room.

"Of course! You didn't think I was going to let you watch it by yourself did you?" Em laughed in response, her anxiety had completely faded away with all the talk of animé and she seemed to be a little more confident. A deep stern voice knocked the two out of their stupor.

"Whilst I'm glad you two made amends after our brothers **idiotic** behaviour Em, can you two perhaps show a little more class tonight? We are in the presence of many important names and faces and all of your...cartoon talk isn't really appropriate." Lucifer smirked innocently towards the human girl but glared menacingly at his brother.

Em winced and glanced at Levi, who said nothing and just rolled his eyes at the back of Lucifers head. "S-sorry Lucifer."

Diavolo greeted them just outside of the main reception area, he was wearing a red suit with a black shirt and a white tie and also had slicked his hair back for the occasion. “Ahhh you’re all here! It’s been a while Em. You look stunning! And the rest of you, very handsome I must say .. wait..Leviathan! Is that you? Well colour me surprised, I didn't think you'd actually show up, the last few times I remember you had something more important to tend to." he laughed deceptively whilst holding out his hand to welcome everyone formally.

Levi smiled and shook his hand groaning internally, he had skipped the last four gatherings because of animé marathons or Runequest and it sounded like Diavolo was a little resentful as he brought up the memories.

“Yeah it’s weird, since his little tantrum a few weeks ago, Levi’s been out of his room more and more~” Asmodeus perked up “I think it’s due to Em.~”

Em scrunched up her face in curiosity, if she got the chance she'd ask Asmodeus what he meant by that later on in the evening.

_Please don't tease me infront of Diavolo! Honestly Asmo..._

_Well hopefully no-one takes him seriously._

Diavolo was ecstatic at the remark. “Well that’s wonderful news! It means the exchange program is a success so far if our human students are having such a positive impact on demons.”

Asmodeus and Satan chuckled amongst themselves at the statement and glanced over to the back of Levi's head, at the very least the Demon prince wasn't wrong about an incredible impact she'd had on the otaku.

“Yes Lord Diavolo, but it’s only been three months. Only time will tell.” The green haired butler had slipped into the vicinity whilst Diavolo had been talking, he looked Em up and down and smiled a little too widely. “Ah, Emilia. It’s good to see you again. You look radiant tonight.” He had his demon form visible tonight as his wing like horns poked out of his turquoise bangs. Barbatos was wearing a formal jacket that matched his butler profession. It was teal in colour with a tailcoat and drapes and his pants were two toned light and dark grey to match the jacket.

“Oh..thanks Barbatos, it’s been awhile” Em bowed her head, frowning a little at the fact he was using her given name, but then it couldn't be helped she thought. This was a very formal evening and the nickname Em didn't sound as prestigious.

Mammon tapped her on the shoulder, scolding her slightly for the bow. “Oi..he’s just a butler Em there’s no need for that!”

Em smiled sheepishly at everyone "Sorry, it's an old habit. But I still wanted to be polite, sure he's a butler but that doesn't mean he isn't worthy of respect, Mammon." she took a pause. "Without Barbatos I imagine a lot of things wouldn't get done, am I right?"

The white haired demon opened his mouth but no words came out, the girl had a point.

_I wouldn't even try to argue with her Mammon, she's right._

_And you'll just look even more of an idiot._

Diavolo chortled, rather amused by the confident remark. A human giving sass to one of the oldest demon brothers was hilarious from where he was standing, but he quickly composed himself and turned to face his butler. “Ah Barbatos, there you are. Is everything ready?” 

“Yes my lord, everything is as you requested.” the butler bowed respectfully and grinned at the girl who'd just defended him.

“Fantastic, well I won’t keep you all. Have a great time tonight.” Diavolo bowed his head majestically and took his leave with Barbatos in tow. “Oh, Lucifer? may I speak with you alone in my study for a second? It’s about **that**.”

A few of them exchanged puzzle glances at the change in Diavolo’s light tone, what did he mean by "that".

“I’ll be right there Lord Diavolo.” Lucifer frowned and glanced towards his siblings and the raven haired human, sensing their piquing curiosity. “I’ll join you all later. **Behave yourselves. Especially you Mammon; go easy on the wine this time.** ” and with that he was off down the huge corridors with the other two demons.

The remainder of the group stepped through a skyscraper sized golden door that had many etchings around the frame. Inside the hall there must have been hundreds of demons and demonesses and the room was like a splash of rainbow from all of the different outfits varying by class.

Em started to feel a little panicked, she was sweating and trying to breathe through her mouth; exhaling in and out shakily. “O-oh god..there’s s-so many people.”

“It’s okay Em, just forget they exist” Levi rushed in-front of her line of sight causing her to flinch, before giving her a reassuring smile whispering into her ear quickly whilst the other brothers were greeting a few lords. “I do it all of the time. If it helps j-just keep your eyes on me tonight, okay?"

She blushed at the sudden intimacy between them. "O-okay, thank you Levi." and smiled up at him. Neither of them had realized that Asmodeus had already wrapped his small talk up and was just watching the pair, he hadn't heard what his otaku brother had whispered but he sensed the mood.

“Awwwh Em don’t worry, just picture them all naked; it helps me, let's go get you fed before you waste away ~” Asmodeus gripped her arm tighter and ushered her over to the buffet table, he didn't want Levi to have her all to himself tonight. Beel quickly followed after them, leaving Levi alone with Satan and Mammon.

_I really don’t think that’s going to help. Should I go over there too?_

The blonde haired sibling couldn’t help but notice Ems frail state “Is she going to be alright? I know I said a while ago her anxiety improved but tonight she seems a little...unsettled.”

“She’ll be fine! I think…” Mammon looked over and watched her struggling to walk in her heels, she looked like a newborn calf, toddling about. And it was drawing attention from the higher class demons. “Hmmm ya know what I’ll be back in a sec.” he sighed and broke away from his siblings.

Levi looked over yearningly as his white haired brother followed after Em; he hadn’t noticed Satan observing him until he coughed snapping him out his daze. “So, Levi it’s been a while since we spoke, just the two of us.” a small smile escaped his lips.

“Ehh has it? I’m sure I spoke to you earlier today! LOL” The nervous internet slang was back, Levi had a feeling he knew what that smirk was about.

_Don’t do it Satan, I’m begging you._

“Let’s get a drink brother!” Satan beckoned him over to a nearby demon butler and they both took a glass of champagne from the large serving trays. Levi stood uncomfortably with his; the glass trembling slightly in his hand. 

“So, how are things? Hows Ruri-chan?” 

“Huh? Ruri-chan LOL you don’t normally ask about her.” 

_Okay this is getting weird, why….is he bringing Ruri up?_

“Yes...we’ve not heard anything about her in awhile so I was wondering if everything was alright with the happy couple?” Satan sipped his drink, smirking as the champagne hit his tongue. 

“Happy couple? Uhhh..”

Satan kept smirking, he wanted to fluster his brother a little while longer “What’s wrong, don’t tell me you’ve broken up..” 

“Okay Satan what in Devildom are you on about LOL” The purple haired demon started sipping his drink after every breath, this conversation was getting a little bit uncomfortable for him now.

“I just found it very convenient. For the past..ten? years everyday of my life I’ve heard you slip that cartoon woman's name into every single conversation.”

Levi could feel himself snap. “Not a cartoon…” his eyes narrowed.

“What’s not a cartoon?” 

_That voice..._

Levi snapped his head up and came face to face with Solomon. He had kept his word to Asmodeus the previous day and was wearing a black suit and tie with a white shirt and black pants. 

“Ah Solomon, how wonderful to see you..” Satan groaned, he was just about to get to the good part with his brother; however he couldn’t help but notice the odd atmosphere between Levi and the sorcerer.

“Hello Satan...Leviathan.” Solomon beamed and gave out his usual confident aura, but as he turned his attention towards the purple haired demon Levi couldn’t help but hear the hint of contempt in his voice.

_Ugh just call me Levi, I know you hate me now._

“Hi Solomon...good to see you.” Levi forced a smile as he reeled inside.

_Is it though? C’mon dude stop acting like this….I miss my TSL buddy._

The social recluse found himself edging out of earshot as the topic went from small pleasantries to magic practice and books, things he wasn’t able to take part in. He was beginning to feel that familiar sting of envy and darted his eyes around the room.

Em was still at the buffet table with the others, Asmodeus seemed to be laughing but she looked like she didn’t want to be there, and Beel kept looking at her anxiously as she stood almost stoic with them talking to a few higher class demons. 

He watched her from afar finding just the sight of her calm him down tenfold as his heart started to drum out his affections.

Suddenly Levi’s attention was thrust back to his blonde book loving brother and love rivals chitchat due to the mention of her name.

“Is it true that you’re working at the Library too now Solomon? When did that happen?” 

“Oh yes! After covering a few of Ems shifts and with my knowledge of all books on magic Abaddon said she could do with having someone like me around. Ems great of course, she really looks in her element when she’s giving recommendations of her own out and the customers adore her!” 

_What? Why are you working there?! Don’t you have enough to do with all your magic classes?_

Levi slipped himself back into the conversation. “Oh that’s _great_ news Solomon. But won’t it be hard to keep up, you have extra lessons in the evening right?”

“Well if it means helping Em out I’ll be glad to take the added stress, oh and..Abaddon too of course.” Solomon beamed and grabbed a champagne glass from one of the nearby serving trays. “Ah Leviathan, you look like you could do with another” he offered Levi a second glass, the beaming smile never faltering.

_Are you trying to get me drunk?_

“LOL Solomon you’re quite good at this aren’t you?” he laughed innocently, his yellow eyes burning into the white haired Sorcerer. 

“What do you mean?”

“Getting people drunk” Levi had a slightly playful tone to him as the alcohol started to take its effect. Everything was starting to feel lighter and the music around them was fading off into the distance. “You know, like what happened with Em.”

Solomon gripped the underside of his glass a little tighter and chortled. “Ah that! That was just an unfortunate accident, I just wanted to lighten the mood a bit that night because _someone_ had hurt her feelings.”

_If my brother weren’t here right now, and I wasn’t forced to keep up appearances tonight I swear on Hades himself I’d wipe that smile off your face._

Just as he was about to retort that statement ,Satan stepped in and spoke, sensing the rise in demonic power. “Anyway, Solomon it’s been pleasant but my brother and I must go and find the others now.”

“Oh, so soon? Well it can’t be helped, have a good evening!...Leviathan nice talking to you too.” Solomon waved them off shooting Levi a look of disgust as Satan turned around.

As soon as they were both out of earshot Satan whispered “ _Levi what in Devildom was all that about?”_

 _“I don’t know what you mean”_ the tipsy otaku acted aloof, which was foolish in itself to think it would go over Satans head.

_“Your snide remarks and passive aggression, it was like listening to a pair of squabbling imps."_

_“Well Solomons the one who started it. I tried to make up with him weeks ago after he sent me that message…”_ Levi grew irritated at his own mention of the seemingly harmless text that bothered him so much.

The blonde raised an eyebrow, this was the first he heard of Levi and Solomon not speaking to eachother. But it did make sense, even he had noticed the sorcerers absence around the House of Lamentation and the group chats.“ _What message? What are you talking about”_

“ _Dude, after the whole...Em thing. Solomon sent me a text saying I wasn’t a decent guy and that Em-”_

Satan looked down at his brother and raised an eyebrow as Levi’s expression twisted into one of hesitation “Em…?”

_That Em deserves better. But I can’t tell him that bit...can I? I mean he could just think Solomon meant a better friend but I know he meant more than that._

_I’m not an idiot, I’m the Avatar of Envy._

_I know jealousy when I see it._

Levi weighed up the pros and cons of telling Satan the rest and eventually decided to deflect the subject all together, like he had with Lucifer. 

“You know what? it’s nothing LOL! I’m gonna go grab some food, I'll be back in a bit okay?” Before his brother could respond Levi marched over towards the buffet table but Em was nowhere in sight, Asmodeus and Beel were still there but Mammon was also missing.

He began to feel a sense of dread and started to search frantically, his head swung from side to side scanning the rest of the demons in the large hall.

_Where..where did they go?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is in Ems POV :)
> 
> I did my best to describe what everyone is wearing but like I said last chapter; I have terrible fashion sense ^^''


	26. Panic

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Em struggles inside her own mind as she tries to calm down and we learn more about Nate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WARNING: Some sensitive topics in this chapter.

Ems POV

It’s so noisy...all I could hear is the scraping of plates, clinking of glasses. And I felt like everyone in the room was talking about me, whispering insults about a stupid human girl playing dress up.

And then I remembered Levi’s kind words earlier.

_“Just ignore them Em, if it helps just keep your eyes on me tonight”_

He’d scared me half to death with the speed he ran out in front of me, and then before I knew what was happening his breath was tickling my ear and I could practically taste the salty sweetness of his scent. But then I was swept away from the serene lake and thrown into a raging sea of people. 

_My mouth is so dry, I feel like I’m in a desert all of a sudden rather than a sea._

The zip on the back of my dress kept grazing against my shoulder blades as I breathed in and out trying to calm myself. Why did I have to wear something like this? I felt so uncomfortable and the fact I was sweating so much just caused the dress to stick to me even more, revealing every curve in my body to the whole world.

He told me earlier tonight that I looked beautiful, and I found myself blushing again which didn’t help how hot and clammy I felt right now. I wanted to tell him he looked incredibly handsome but all I could muster out was that he looked good. I hate my cowardliness sometimes, I just want to help give him a little confidence about himself but I can never find the right words; and whenever I do think of that dazzling smile, those mesmerising eyes my heart hurts and I feel like it’s Nate tormenting me from the beyond, because I’ve betrayed him by making another friend.

I’ve betrayed him by wanting to move on, I want my heart to heal, not forget him but just...heal. I want to be loved by someone again, and to give them everything I can.

My first kiss had been stolen from me so easily, I was trying to keep him happy as he lay there in that bed, we both knew we had limited time together by then and I spent every waking moment by his side. We had just been watching a romcom animé and he was laughing about how dramatic first kisses were made in them, saying it was unrealistic and started tearing the writing apart. But then I retorted saying it was cute and innocent and first kisses were a big deal. Then it happened, he stopped laughing and pierced his azure eyes into mine, with his weak trembling arms he grabbed my face and pulled it down planting my lips against his, I opened my eyes as he pushed me away and saw the slightest blush on his pale and sickly skin; we both said nothing that day and then...the next day was when he lost his temper for the final time.

_"I only did that so I can haunt you for the rest of your life."_

It’s been three long years since he abandoned me. and left me to pick up the pieces and I remember wanting to end the pain, so that he could no longer haunt me.

Before I could kick that chair away, my father found me, he decided it would be best for me to leave for England at once and on the next day I was chucked on a plane and I never heard from him again. My mother fell to pieces after hearing what I'd done, and the fact my father had cut us both out of his lives so easily. 

I’ll never tell the brothers about this but I was actually seeing a therapist before I found myself here, she helped me come to terms with the fact that if I had died that night I wouldn’t have been able to even hold on to those good memories with Nate; and the memory of his kind side would have left this world with me. That it was okay to feel pain and accept it.

But my depression and guilt for living on just kept coming back, even with her help Nate kept tempting me and tormenting me every night in my dreams.  
  
On the night Lucifer attacked me I wanted to take that chance, have someone else make that decision to end my life. I know it would’ve been selfish to leave so soon but I wanted to do one good thing for everyone, even if it would torment them. I knew Levi would eventually forget me as the years went on and my worthless tragic life was expendable opposed to theirs so it was the least I could do to help save Luke, Mammon and Beel.

But I feel like Levi needed me as much as I needed him, at least right now. I realized that after we made up.

Levi...

My eyes fished him out easily in the crowd as I came back to reality. It was like he was a big purple beacon for my heart. 

He seemed to be having a really deep conversation with Satan and Solomon; so I didn’t want to disturb him and just stood there frozen in place whilst I felt that familiar breeze around my body. It must be his special demon power right? That’s what causes this strange airy feeling when I look at him, or it’s the fact I’m holding on to that last stupid hope Levi was an alternate version of Nate or something.

Nate never gave off this airy feeling, I just felt grateful that he had chosen me to be by his side. He’d even jokingly proposed to me a few months after his mother's funeral.

_If I had to be with someone for the rest of my life I suppose you wouldn’t be the worst choice”_ it had made me laugh at the time, we were just silly kids but I took those words and held on to them for years.

When he had his off days I’d stand by his side and let him take his anger out on me, that’s what you do when you love someone, you support them right? And on his good days we’d people watch if I was able to drag him out of the house, he’d make up all these funny stories about the lives of strangers as they went by, when we watched animé together he’d constantly express how it was a better, brighter existence than the one we lived in. 

And at that time I agreed with him. But then I came here, and despite it being eternal darkness I feel like it’s so light compared to my existence in the human realm.

But why can’t I remember how I even came to be here? I must have gotten a letter or something..right?

Suddenly a voice lifted me out of my own head. “Hey Em, are you okay?” it was Beel offering me a plate of devil pork ribs.

“I-I’m fine...thanks Beel” I graciously accepted the plate and started stuffing my face with the food; people could think I was a pig all they wanted right now I just needed to satiate the swirling sensation in my stomach and distract myself from those morbid thoughts.

“W-wow Em, slow down!” Beel laughed innocently at me and then a quick look of concern.“Are you sure you’re alright? You’ve been staring off into space for a while now, like you were in your own little world” 

“I told you it’s fine!” I laughed, trying to hide the irritation in my voice. He was just looking out for me and here I was angry that he ripped me away from the safety of my mind, I’m a horrible person. “Oh, where are the others?”

“Huh you didn’t realize they left? Em..you don’t remember talking to the duke and duchess?”

“Uhhh….” I remembered seeing faces greeting me but I hadn’t remembered a conversation, I must have looked an idiot right now.

“Em...do you need some air? I can go get Mammon, or Levi” he turned his head around and spotted Levi but pouted as he noticed he was a bit preoccupied. 

My head was spinning, from the memories of Nate and from being surrounded by so much noise, it was almost suffocating me. I felt my breath starting to catch in my throat.

What I had been dreading happening for weeks was finally coming true, I knew this feeling all too well as the panic was setting in gripping my lungs tight with its claws.

I needed to get out of there, and fast but I didn’t want Beel to have to stop enjoying the evening because of me. 

So I quickly excused myself “I actually do...hey, I’m just going to go to the bathroom. I won’t be long!” and before Beel got a chance to respond I felt my legs moving on their own.

* * *

I ran as fast my legs could carry me through that huge door, and found myself at the bottom of a large spiralling staircase, it was almost like being in Hargwarts right now; I found my eyes searching for any signs of moving paintings on the walls but, unfortunately there weren't any.  
  
I sat myself down on the stairs and threw my shoes off, trying impossibly to count to ten over and over in my mind as the feeling got worse; I felt like I was drowning even though my throat was a dry as the surface of Mars right now, and then I felt a hand pulling me up to the surface.  
  
"Em...! Are you okay?" My head was still sunk into my chest but I felt pressure on my shoulder, I knew who it was without even looking. The grip my anxiety had on my heart was being fought off by his softly spoken voice.

"L-levi!" I wiped my tears on my arms and swallowed hard. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I came to find you, I noticed you disappeared from the buffet table, I mean not that I was staring at you or anything I just wanted to know if you were doing okay but- wait Em...are you having a panic attack right now?" I looked up and those wonderful eyes were piercing into me with worry and concern and I found myself unable to lie to him for his own sake.

"...Levi...please...just sit with me." trying to calm my breathing I placed my hand on his, and beckoned him to join me at least for a few moments of his time. "I need a distraction right now, just anything." 

"O-okay" He did as he was asked and I felt his weight bounce into the step beside me, my breathing was already calming back down now and I could've easily told him this was enough but I wanted to sit with him for a little while longer. "Hey, I said this place was like Attack on Giant earlier...but this staircase..."

I found myself laughing at the sheer amazement someone was tuned into the same frequency as me. "you're going to say it's like Hargwarts aren't you?" 

"HUH?! how did you know?!" he looked at me flabbergasted and then giggled to himself. " I swear..its like you're in my head sometimes, Em. Uhh not that that's a bad thing."

"I was just thinking the same thing, so I guess technically we're in eachothers heads"

He met my eyes and then smiled "we're like brain roomies then lol" then suddenly averted his gaze, with a pink tinge on his cheeks.

I giggled and felt my body pushing itself towards his shoulder and he let out a small gasp as I collided with him. "I-I hope you don't mind, I just...I want.." _I want you to hold me._ My heart was beating so fast now, but the feeling of panic had subsided as I nuzzled myself into his broad shoulder. 

"E-Em? what's wrong what do you want? I can get you some water if you want, or maybe something to eat? Or I could go find Diavolo?" I smiled at his rambling.

"I'd actually love a drink right now but..I just..I...ugh, it's silly" I tore myself away from his shoulder but felt resistance.

He pulled me gently back into his shoulder and placed an arm around me. "Em, I'm sure it's not silly, tell me whats up?" Levi, why are you so kind? It dampens the hold Nate has over me. "You can tell me anything you know, we are...best friends r-right?" he met my gaze again.

My face burned "O-of course we are" I bit my lip, trying to find the right words to ask him to hold me in his arms like we had days ago, but every choice that came to me sounded cheesy and awkward. In the end I gave up and exhaled deeply. "It's fine, it's..it's nothing."

He moved his arm away from me but turned to lock eyes with me once more. Please don't look at me, I just can't lie when those eyes are staring into my soul.

"Em...please. I..I want to help anyway I can."

I sighed and shut my eyes, furrowing my brow as I prepared the words.

"Iwantedyoutoholdmeokay?"

He threw his hand over his mouth and tried to stifle a laugh. "I'm sorry...what was that? you said it so fast I thought it was in Japanese for a second there!" it was no good, he started breaking out into a fit of laughter.

Now I was laughing, the pair of us just two laughing idiots, sitting on a stair case in a Demon Kings Castle. You couldn't make it up.

"I..I wanted to be held...by..y-someone." I mentally cursed myself for actually saying the words outloud, awaiting another laugh in response for what I asked. Instead he smiled endearingly at me and awkwardly held his arms out.

"L-like I said...I'll help you anyway I can." He was darting his eyes all over the place, unable to keep my gaze for long.

I couldn't help myself, I practically leapt into his chest as he enveloped me in an embrace. I felt so safe in his arms, and couldn't help but listen to the sound of his heartbeat rapidly increasing.

Whilst mine was doing the exact same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So errr yeah; Nate = not a good person lol
> 
> This was pretty hard to write, at least the first half was. I tapped a little too personally into myself for Ems darkness. I do hope I was able to get the panic attack written well though.
> 
> fun fact: the second half of this chapter I originally planned for Solomon to find Em but I changed my mind last minute because I needed some fluff.


	27. Lonely

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi opens up to Em.

He’d ran towards the buffet table earlier and Beel had told him that she needed the bathroom, remembering how stoic and out of it she looked when he had glanced over earlier Levi was hit by the sudden realization that her anxiety was probably flaring up and that he needed to find her and fast.

Diavolo had made sure the guest list only involved demons who were accepting of the human exchange program but that didn't stop a few looks of disgust or the odd comment here and there as they had stepped through the doors; thankfully the xenophobia had been extinguished quickly due to the presence of the demon brothers, especially Lucifer. But now that she was alone and unguarded Levi was terrified that a demon who'd had a little too much too drink or wanted to play with fate that evening, might find her alone and torment her.

The alcohol was still slowly taking hold of him and he had felt his vision going cloudy and almost dreamlike, and as he ran through the corridors searching what seemed endlessly he spotted a silver shoe just by the door of the portrait room, He knew instantly who it belonged to, it wasn't everyday shoes were just lying around demon castles. As he crept closer he caught sight of her, she had her head tucked into her knees, and seemed to be gasping for air through strangled sobs. Not wanting to make things worse for her, he just placed a hand on her shoulder to let her know that he was there for her, if she needed him.

And after an awkward exchange on his part, she was finally in his arms once more. He felt like he'd never get used to this feeling, this warmth spreading through his body as their arms cradled eachother, it was almost like he had his wings back.

_My heart is beating so damn loud, I can feel the blood rushing to my head...and the champagne._

_I can practically see the big "DOKI DOKI" text above us.._

_I just want to stay like this forever, is that too much to ask for?_

_"_ Levi...I-thank you, really. I don't know what I'd do without you sometimes."

 _Don't say things like that! my heart can't take_ _it_.

His heart was hammering away like a jackhammer now, and his complexion matched that of a tomato as she stared up at him with those twinkling eyes. Levi began to feel his self control slipping away and bit down on his lip to remind himself where he was. Even if he had the courage to go through with it right now there was no doubt in his mind that his brothers would ruin the moment, and what exactly would happen after that impulsive action was over?

_Em, if I kissed you right now what would happen? Would you laugh, be disgusted or never talk to me again?_

"Y-you're welcome. To be honest I feel the same way...". He gave her a warm smile and Em flushed bright red as her heart sped up once more, instinctively she threw her hand on her chest and Levi looked at her with a panicked expression.

"E-em are you having another panic attack?"

"N-no I'm fine really, I think it's just the food from earlier hah" She dismissed it but was mulling it over in her mind, why did her heart start racing seeing him smile like that?  
  
"Well you just tell me if you feel sick or something okay? And if any demons make you feel uncomfortable you point them out and I..I'll rip them limb from limb, screw my reputation."

Her heart squeezed once more.

"Pffft sorry, I'm not laughing at you! I just..thank you for looking out for me. You really are a great guy."

His eyes widened in disbelief. "Y-you're welcome" and he felt his face getting hot again, she was always saying nice things about him, things not even he thought about himself.

"There's no need to look so shocked." she giggled. "I know you still don't think very highly of yourself...we have that in common. To be honest, I've been wondering for a while, why did you..want to be friends with someone like me?"

_Someone like you?_

"Uhh well it-it's kind of a long story."

_An impossibly long story_

She played with the loose strands of hair, twisting them as she cursed herself for asking something so random and out of nowhere."Oh...i-if you don't want to talk about it I understand."

He turned towards her holding his hands up "N-no! it's fine it just caught me off guard, but do you mind if I give you the short version, for now at least? If I told you my lifes story then I think we'd still be here by next week."

Taking a deep breath, Levi started to unravel. "Em... You're the first person to actually take any sort of interest in me rather than my brothers." he felt blush creeping up. "I never felt like I was worthy to stand next to them, but it's not just that. You actually GET me, you're into the same things as me and I actually enjoy your company, I don't feel socially exhausted around you."

Em listened intently, he had never opened up to her like this before; but she couldn't help but feel a little guilty for ruining the good mood they'd created after her panic attack.

"The way you screamed at Mammon on the movie night? I've..I've never ever had anyone stand up for me like that. And deep down I know he's not a bad person, I just..I've put up with constant teasing for hundreds of years. You.. have no idea how alone I felt, for so long before you came here. I felt like the only things that mattered in my life were my games, my animé, cosplaying, TSL...Ruri-chan, they were the only reasons I didn't just give up." he felt his voice starting to waver. "But I was starting to get sick of even them."

Tears had started to form in his eyes and he was trying and failing to blink them away, rambling Leviathan style now due to a lack of self containment. "A-and I know it's stupid because you've only been here a short time, but you mean a lot to me, and I'm s-so incredibly sorry for what I said to you that day you came to look after me. Pushing you away like that? it destroyed me and I remembered how lonely I'd been in the first place, I was just scared...scared because I'd never had anyone care about me before, I..I've never had someone I could call a friend. Of course there was Lilith but...she died centuries ago and Belphie? yeah I got on with him the most but he had Beel, they didn't need me, I was always a last resort. And eventually I gave up searching for someone who spent time with me not because they had to, but because they chose to."

"And then you came along..."He sighed and looked down, trying to hide his face. "Em...between you and me? I-I don't know how I'm going to cope when you leave m-here."

_Ugh she's going to laugh at me and think I'm pathetic... I've cried so much over her, but I..I just can't stop myself. It's the damn alcohol._

_But it's true, how the hell am I going to be able to forget you?_

_I won't, I'll never. I don't want you to leave._

She just stared at him in astonishment, choking back tears of her own. He'd been holding all of this in for so long, so many years of angst and bitterness and it sounded like it was all spilling out of him for the first time, but he was still holding himself back from letting go fully.

"Levi..." he felt warmth around his neck as she wrapped her arms around him and she shushed him. "I..I'm so sorry you've dealt with this for so long. I'm here now, so just let it out if you need to." there were so many things that she wanted to say to him right now, but she knew he was just as broken if not more than she was, and that he just needed someone to be there for him. "You don't need to hold back anymore."

_Em..._

The dam inside his mind burst and he let the tears fall, one by one at first and then all at once, thousands of years of feeling neglected and unwanted came pouring out of him as she stroked his purple locks.

It was some time before he composed himself, his amber eyes glazed with the remnants of his relief.

"Ugh, I'm so sorry about that Em..I..I don't know what came over me." he suddenly chuckled, puffy eyes and all "I feel better though, thank you."

_I'm sorry you had to see me like that. But I meant it when I said it, I really do feel like my chest is lighter._

She lowered her head so they were eye to eye. "Levi...don't apologize for crying. And if I'm honest with you, I'm not sure I want to even go back to the human realm. This place..you..a-and your brothers, you're all I have..."

_But what about your family?_

She exhaled heavily, cutting him off before he could breathe. "W-we have to go back to the party don't we.."

"Ugh, unfortunately yeah we do. I think Lucifer would lock me up and throw away the key if we just snuck out." he giggled nervously and stood up with his legs trembling a little as the blood rushed back to them.

_Just how long have we been here?_

"Levi, will you...stay with me tonight? I-I just know I'll be okay if you're with me, I'm sorry if that's..selfish of me."

"Em, it's not selfish at all. I-I'll be right by your side, but if you start to feel overwhelmed again, you just say the word and we'll leave okay? My brothers can go screw themselves!"

She looked at him in shock for a second and then a warm smile traced her lips. "Okay, let's go...ah! but just give me a minute, all my makeup is probably smeared." she reached into her purse and took out of a small compact mirror. There wasn't too much damage and she thanked the stars that she'd been wearing waterproof mascara. "Right, let's go." 

Levi helped to lift her up gently, and she dusted herself off. "Oh, Em. Your shoes!" 

"Oh yeah whoops!" laughing she fetched her shoes from the ground, slipping them back on her feet and then they quickly made their way back down the long corridors arm in arm to help support each-other.

_If anyone says anything I can blame the shoes at the very least._

* * *

As they were just at the foot of the door Asmodeus approached them with a demonness under each arm. "Oh you're back! Beel told me you two sneaked off together. Did you have fun~". He winked suggestively.

The couple didn't get a chance to retort that remark as they blushed crimson at the insinuation, but Levi was thankful his brother was preoccupied enough to not notice his puffy eyelids or the fact most of Ems makeup had been wiped off.

"Asmooooo, stop talking and play with us!". One of the demonness pouted, and fluttered her crimson eyes at him. The other demonness just locked her purple eyes onto Em and Levi with a seductive grin on her face.

"There's always room for more if you want to join us.. we don't mind. Do we Asmo?"

Em and Levi just stood raising their eyebrows, not knowing how to respond. Neither of them could believe they were being invited to something like that so casually.

A light pink blush could be seen ever so slightly as the smallest brother laughed. "Ahaha unfortunately girls, this is my brother Leviathan and this is Em one of the human exchange students. But I wouldn't say no to her though~" 

The demonesses smirks suddenly turned into scowls at his words. "Ugh a human? why are you wasting your time around something like _that._ " Em felt her heart drop and began to lower her head, feeling threatened.

The other demonness started laughing too and started flirting with Levi."Sweetie, you could do much better, she's not even that cute! I could show you a much better time."

Levi gritted his teeth, subconsciously putting his hand on Ems shoulder whilst he glared at the succubi and managed to spit a few words. "I'm fine thanks, I'd rather stick with her." 

_She's a lot cuter than you, you damn floozy._

_"_ Psh suit yourself, you don't know what you're missing."

Asmodeus watched the two go back and forth at eachother until he finally spoke, taking his arms off the women and stepped in front of them.

"Ladies please, I'm a lover not a fighter! Em is my friend so if you keep insulting her, I'll punish you and make you beg for my mercy~" Asmodeus kept his light sing song voice but narrowed his eyes in irritation. "You don't want that do you?~".

The women frowned and muttered an apology to the human girl. Levi's scowl receded, luckily for him his brothers threats had paid off. "Anyway you two, we're going to go and have some fun, aren't we ladies? I'll be back before the last dance~" 

Asmodeus threw his arms back around the two women, a little more forcefully and squeezed his arms whilst he walked off. Levi and Em finally made it back into the party room where everyone was waiting. Lucifer and Diavolo were sitting at a large table with Barbatos and Solomon close by. Beel was still gorging himself on any food left, whilst Satan, Mammon and a tall red haired demon were at the bar with more drinks.

Beel was the first to greet the couple and came bounding up to them. "Hey you're finally back! You've both been gone a while you know." he turned to Em with an apologetic pout. "Em...I'm sorry I didn't realize sooner you were feeling overwhelmed. I should've come with you. But, next time something like that happens don't be scared to tell us, okay?"

"O-okay, sorry Beel. I just didn't want to ruin your night." Em kept her head looking down at the floor, unable to meet anyone's eyes.

"Don't worry about us, Em. We've been to hundreds of these things over the years, it's all the same to us. Ah, whats your poison? I'll get you a drink!"

"W-wine would be great right now, actually."

"Wine it is, Levi I'll get you something too"

Levi shook his head, he was never much of a heavy drinker and had quite a low tolerance for it. A byproduct of his shut-in lifestyle."Oh actually I'm alright Beel, thanks though."

_I can't handle another drink. Especially after that pathetic display earlier.._

"Suit yourself! I'll be back in a sec, feel free to steal my seat." He ran off towards the bar, leaving his otaku brother and the shy human girl alone again.

Levi snapped his head towards Em as soon as his brother was out of earshot, she had been oddly quiet since the run in with Asmodeus and the succubi. He leaned his head down to meet her eyes. "Em, are you okay? Just ignore those succubi, they don't know what they're talking about and they're probably just pissy they got turned down. To be honest, I'm annoyed with Asmo for still running off with them but..well, thats Asmo for you." 

_Yeah that's Asmo, pleasure always comes first._

"I-I'm fine, thanks for sticking up for me though." she suddenly giggled, causing him to flinch a tad. "You said sorry was your catchphrase but mine seems to be thank you these days." 

He grinned at her whilst scratching his chin in thought. "We make quite the pair. Sorry and Thanks; hey we could write it into a manga! Maybe they could be superheroes?"

They both started planning their potential manga revolving around superheroes who went around teaching bad guys manners; and were just getting to the big twist arc when a heavenly voice appeared alongside Beel who had returned with Ems drink.

"Oh Em, it's great to see you again! you look.. _angelic_." Levi couldn't help but roll his eyes at the obvious pun. "Ah! and Leviathan! I like your new look too, very dashing." Simeon was dressed in a white paisley jacket with a light yellow tie and white pants to match. It was very obviously angelic and pure looking.

"Hah, thanks." Levi grunted.

"Here's your wine, Em." Beel passed her the drink and started gulping down his own like it was water. Levi watched cautiously as Em started sipping hers a little too quickly, and he was reminded about the night she stayed with Solomon.

 _Dude please, I told you before; call me_ _Levi._

"Thank you so much Simeon" she fidgeted awkwardly at the compliment. "I don't mean to be rude but, where's Luke?" 

Simeon laughed politely."Ah, well in angel years, Luke's not old enough to drink yet. He's only three-hundred after all! So he's back at Purgatory Hall. Oh we finally decided on a date for the camping trip by the way, I'll have Solomon text you the details!"

"Oh actually I've got plans with him the day after tomorrow, he insisted on coming with me to Hocus Pocus; I'm... still getting the hang of Alchemy" she grinned sheepishly. Em had been in the Devildom for over three months now but was still awful calculating the right measurements and checking ingredients.

_That's news to me...I could've gone with you._

_No, no stop it, don't ruin the good mood._

_You can't get jealous everytime she hangs out with someone else. Plus she just let you cry your eyes out on her._

"Oh is that so? I may send Luke on an errand there if they have any books on Angelic Law. He's been...behind on his studies recently." he turned to Em and Levi. "Anyway I'm sorry for the rush but I must speak to Lord Diavolo about the camping trip arrangements. Take care, Em, Leviathan, Beelzebub.". Simeon bowed gracefully to the trio and then strode off towards the Demon Prince and Lucifer, who looked like they'd been drinking all night.

Levi couldn't help but notice that Lucifer had his trademark smirk on his face as he met eyes with his from across the hall.

_Yikes, he looks...smug about something._

"Angels eh? Busy busy" Beel shrugged and gestured Em and Levi towards the bar. "Anyway Em, your boss is here." he glanced at her worried expression. "Oh, Don't worry she's completely wasted right now!" 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The first half of this chapter...gave me some trouble. I rewrote it at least 5 different times and I just wasn't happy with any of the outcomes! seriously I wrote Solomon interrupting them, Lucifer, Mammon, Beel... in another one there was a kiss and I thought nope too soon!  
> Eventually I read back through the fic (fixed the brothers ages too) and realized that Levi hasn't actually opened his heart to Em yet, not in the same way. So this is a critical moment for their relationship and I hope it felt natural.
> 
> In the next few chapters we'll be returning to happy fluff!


	28. Party Crashers

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The evening starts to draw to a close at Diavolo's party.
> 
> Fluff, humor a little plot winky wink

“Em is that..you?” A pair of striking sapphire eyes glared across the bar.

As they approached the voice, a mess of auburn hair practically knocked Levi off his feet as she pushed him out of the way. She was a tall and curvaceous demoness, wearing bright red lipstick and a red sequin dress that hit the floor.

_Umm ow, hello?_

Levi groaned as he composed himself, squinting his eyes slightly at the figure, he was trying to place where he’d seen that fiery red hair before.

_Wait..is that?_

“Oh my demon lord! It’s sooooo good to see you, and look at your dress, ooh I could just eat you up!” Satan pinched his nose and crept up behind the woman, ready to restrain her if need be.

He sighed and grabbed her by the shoulder, unfortunately not for the first time that night. “Abbadon seriously, you need to calm down.” He paused for a second before speaking, slight resistance in his voice. “I think you should go home.”

“Ooooh Satey, is that.. an invitation?” she whisked around like lightning and grabbed Satans tie, pulling him closer towards her face as she smirked. 

_Don’t mind us we’ll just watch...seriously did Diavolo spike the drinks with something tonight?_

Em, Levi and Beel just exchanged awkward glances, feeling a little uncomfortable.

The blonde haired introvert flinched at the sound of his pet name, and choked on his words “D-don’t be ridiculous.”

“ Anyway, how dare you run off on me like that earlier” He turned towards Levi wagging his finger as he scolded him. “I know you were in a bad mood because of your tussle with Solomon, but I was in the middle of a conversation.” he stepped away from them for a moment and fixed his tie, dusting his suit off like it was contaminated.

Em narrowed her eyes curiously at the mention of Solomon. What did he mean by tussle? she thought Levi and Solomon got on rather well, sure things had been a little strained recently between them but they had been thick as thieves a few weeks ago. She took a mental note to herself that she’d ask Levi if everything was okay at some point.

“Huh really? I mean if you wanna talk I’m here now.” Levi scratched his head, he decided to ignore the comment about Solomon, for his and Ems sake. He’d dealt with the sorcerer enough for one night, even mentioned in passing it was chewing away at him.

“I...don’t think it would be appropriate right here.” Satan forced an awkward wink at his brother looking almost in pain, trying to suggest that the conversation needed to be private.

Levi practically doubled over seeing how awkward his brother was, by how he was acting he was at the very least tipsy. “Pfffff Satan, are you actually trying to wink there LOL”. Em also had to bite her lip to stop herself from laughing.

Beel shot Levi a nervous glance.

Abaddon finally realized that there was fresh meat standing next to her human employee.“Wait Satey, who’s this, is he your friend? He’s adorable!” she suddenly snapped her head at Levi with hunger in her eyes. “Hellooo handsome.”

_Why is everyone hitting on me tonight! Seriously I show no interest in women for thousands of years and then the moment I actually do find someone I get hit on, perfect just perfect._

_Apparently it just wasn’t good enough to curse me once, you decided to curse me with women too, Thanks so much, Father._

“Ummm…”

“Honestly Abbadon” Satan rolled his eyes, this was the last time he’d let her talk him into buying her shots. “That's my brother. And he’s currently.. _unavailable_.” 

_W-what do you mean by that Satan...oh no...y-you know?_

Em looked a little confused at those words and snapped her head up at Levi who was just fidgeting nervously, twitching his fingers. 

Abaddon seemed to have trouble with her recollection as she stood there resting her hand on her chin in deep thought.

“You’ve met him before..countless times.” Satan held his head in his hand, face palming at her rudeness.

Suddenly her eyes sparked “Wait, this is ** _THE_** Leviathan? The one Em was constantly crying about weeks ago? The one that upset her to the brink of not being able to come to work?” she held her hand over her mouth in shock. Em had spoken about him so earnestly and as far as Abaddon was concerned he was a completely different demon from the one in front of her tonight.

_Ughhhh am I doomed to remember my stupid selfish behaviour for the rest of eternity?_

_I_

_AM_

_SORRY!_

Levi hung his head in shame, but peered towards Em who had a forgiving smile on her face.“It is, but..we made up and I’ve forgiven him. I-it’s a thing of the past now.”

“Huh, well I think you're awfully quick to forgive him, Em” her eyes suddenly lit up. “Ahhhh it’s like that isn’t it.”

Before she could continue harassing the couple Satan cleared his throat and grabbed his suit jacket, getting ready to escort her out. “Abbadon, I really think you’re done for the night-”

“Yooooooooo itz you guyzzz!” another voice started to approach them, sounding a lot drunker and slurred. Mammon staggered up to them practically legless, then clocked the awkward atmosphere and decided to make it worse. 

He threw an arm around Em and started whining. “Emmmmm where did you go, we were all havin’ fun and then you disappeared and then I saw Levi haulin’ ass out the door, you ain’t cheatin’ on me are you?” he pouted and looked at her with puppy dog eyes.

“Mammon, you’re the one that ran off when you saw the demon butlers bringing out a casket of wine…” Beel shot an accusatory glance at his drunk brother.

“Cheating on you Mammon, I thought she was dating Levi?” Abaddon frowned, seeming slightly upset at the fact.

_D-d-dating? I wish…_

_“_ N-no! Levi’s my-”

“You both need to calm down.” Satan had had it up to here with the pair of them. Abaddon was normally a reserved and calm demoness but once she let her hair down she became wild and untamed. And Mammon was a very happy drunk so to the blonde haired brother this was a living hell as they both played off each other's drunken personas.

“I-I'm sorry Mammon, we…” Em froze, she didn’t want to tell anyone about her panic attack or Levi’s emotional breakdown. Thankfully he stepped in to help.

“We decided we’d explore a little, right Em?” He glanced down at her, smiling innocently.

“Yes..! I’ve always been fascinated by gothic architecture and this castle is beautiful”

“Yep. So we both went to the portrait room.” 

_It’s not a lie, I just didn’t tell them the rest of the story._

The two shared awkward glances before flashing wide smiles at everyone. It probably got past the two drunks but Satan was ready to pounce.

“Ah you went to the portrait room? Tell me Em, which Demon Prince fascinated you the most and why?” His emerald eyes fixed on her, Satan had a very expansive and varied knowledge and demon history was something he’d read up on a lot since the brothers fell. If she were to lie to him or make up a name, he’d know about it.

Levi looked very worried but tried to feign innocence, he wasn’t expecting Satan to interrogate them like this but he wasn’t surprised either. He shifted his eyes towards Em who had a tiny smirk on her face, unbeknown to him, history was fortunately the subject she excelled in, in her classes.

“My favourite? Oh that would have to be Baphomet, I-I’ve always been fascinated with occult things and so I read everything I could about the Knights Templar, the Inquisition and I...may have owned a few plushies of him in the human realm, I-I hope that’s not offensive but I always thought he was cute!” she beamed a little sheepishly and held the back of her head as she rambled on and on.

Levi stared at her in amazement, his mouth struggling to remain closed so his eagle eyed brother didn’t pick on the fact he’d lied.

_How did I not know she was into history? Or occult things, I mean I guess you’d have to be that sort of person to be so accepting of demons.._

But then he felt a twinge of shame, they spent a lot of time together, more so recently than ever after his isolation, and even though she had opened up a little to the brothers about Nate and her life in the human realm she still seemed to hide so many secrets. 

He still didn’t know her likes and dislikes, was she a cat or a dog person? Did she have any food allergies? What sort of music other than animé OPs was she into? Just all of those little things he wanted to know.

_But then she doesn't really know much about me either...we only really talk about games and animé and TSL..still._

There was that familiar sense of guilt that kept repeating itself. Could he really claim to love someone he knew so little about? He was suddenly pulled away from his self torment as he glanced over to Satan, expecting some sort of witty remark.

Satans lip quivered and he started to chortle, then full blown laughter like a mad scientist. Levi physically recoiled, he hadn’t heard Satan laugh like this except when Beel and Belphie had placed a whoopie cushion under Lucifer's seat.

He wiped a stray tear from his eye and quickly regained his relaxed composure.“Oh, forgive me Em, I just..I wasn’t expecting you to call a demon cute, and plushies? Of Baphomet? I must acquire one when I next visit the human realm!”

“Wow, ya made Satan laugh….is it the apocalypse already?” Mammon squinted his eyes at the sight in front of him and then looked down at his glass. “Maybe I’ve had too much to drink..” and he scratched the back of his head and was about to head off and find some food to sober up with.

Suddenly there was a clinking sound and Diavolo stood in the center of the hall with a glass. “Thank you everyone for coming to this tremendous occasion! I can’t tell you all how pleased I am that you’ve attended tonight. Unfortunately my father is unavailable, but he sends everyone his regards and thanks you for your donations to the R.A.D”.

“ _Donations?”_ Em whispered to the group. 

“ _R.A.D is funded by donations from the richest of demonfolk, it sounds a little callous but they’re betting on the exchange program being a success, no idea what the reward is if they bet on the right horse so to speak._

 _“Success? What sort of things would make it a success?”_ Her brain was racked at the information brought to light and the others looked just as bewildered. She took a long pause, chewing her lip red raw. _“I...didn’t want to bring this up but when I got here..I did think it was strange that immortal demons were in an academy, for how long are you supposed to be studying at RAD for?”_

“ _No one knows..”_ Satan sipped the last of his drink and said nothing more but looked very curious himself.

_Em has a very, very good point. What the hell are we even doing at this Academy? And why do we need exchange students from all three realms? Why..am I only just realizing how strange it is?_

The silence was deafening and everyone stared hard at the floor, lost in their own thoughts, something was starting to feel off.

* * *

After his speech Diavolo got up and announced the end of the party as a success and the last dance was to begin. Whilst everyone cheered and clapped Lucifer finally joined the group, creeping up on everyone silently and Asmodeus returned covered in lipstick marks with his clothes dishevelled.

“Well I don’t know about everyone else but I had a lot of fun tonight, I’m exhausted~” He stretched his back, feeling rather proud of his accomplishments for the evening.

“Asmodeus, need I remind you that **playtime is on your own time** . Tonight you were supposed to watch over Em and **keep up appearances, Mammon you disobeyed me and drank too much, didn’t you!** ” Lucifer's eyes sparked, he had been watching everything that transpired throughout the evening at a distance like a nature documentary. “Even the **leech** was better behaved than all of you put together tonight.”

He had seen Leviathans spat with Solomon, he’d witnessed Em run out and then Leviathan soon after and he had taken into account how many hours they were gone. 

Lucifer seemed to be incredibly strict but the fact was he cared deeply for his siblings more than he let on, he was just a bit overprotective, their reputations mattered a lot with Diavolo and it was hurting him to watch Levi slowly fall for this human who would eventually be torn away from them all.

Mammon let out a small cry and begged for mercy. “Am sorry 'kay! ya can’t blame me when I’m surrounded by all this temptation!” he was about to get on his hands and knees and grovel but Lucifer kept barking, snapping his head towards the purple haired demon and the human girl who was now cowering behind Levi.

“ **Leviathan, Em. You also disappeared.** Do you have any idea how long you were gone? And Em, the Duke and Duchess of Virgil told me you barely spoke to them and you looked like you didn’t have a care in the world. **I’m very disappointed in your behaviour tonight.”**

Beel, Satan and Abbadon just shrank back a little, thinking Lucifer was taking things way out of proportion. 

I’m..I’m so sorry Lucifer, I-” she hid behind Levi’s shoulder, much like she had on the first day only this time she was being shielded by the opposite brother.

Leviathan snapped,at that moment in time he cared little about himself and just couldn’t bear to see his brother scold Em so publicly and with little regard for her anxiety. It was taking everything he had not to lash out his demonic power right now. “Don’t get angry at her! She just needed a little space away from everything, if anything it’s my fault we were gone for so long… you can punish me all you want, but you can’t blame her for having a panic attack!”

A series of quiet gasps were heard around him. “Em why didn’t ya say anything?” was all Mammon could sputter out.

_Shit I didn’t mean to tell them about that, I hope you’re not too upset with me Em..._

Lucifer glared at his younger brother for daring to stand against him, but then his eyes slightly softened, although a frown remained and he sighed. “Fine. Leviathan, I’m **revoking** your...pillow things. That will be punishment enough for your insolence. And Em.” he chewed on his lip, slightly regretting the outburst. “You are excused under your special circumstances, but just remember you are here as an example to everyone, the demons here are paying for your food, drink, room and education.”

_Dude have my pillows, burn them for all I care. But I swear if you rip into her again I won’t hold back, not even for you, brother._

“Understood, I’m..I’m really sorry.” she hung her head down in shame and Lucifer stalked off to the bar, needing to cool down a little. 

“Em oh my unholy lord are you okay? I’m so sorry I didn’t realize it earlier~” Asmodeus hung his head in shame, feeling extremely guilty for letting his desires take over his moral. Every one started to apologize for their actions and Levi sighed, beginning to step away from the group.

_She’s probably furious with me for that._

As he began to amble away he felt a familiar tug on his arm. “Levi...I’m not angry at you if that’s what you think, if anything I’m grateful that you stood up for me like that. I’m..also ashamed of myself for not telling the others and trying to keep things to myself. I don’t want any more drama tonight and I promise I’ll tell you...everything someday. But, will you..will..you..”

_Will I…?_

“Would..you..like to dance? I-I’ve never had the opportunity to come to something like this and well it would be rude to go without at least one, oh but...your brothers, they’ll all tease you and-” her face was crimson, and the others were all in earshot just observing them.

Levi swallowed his initial shock and tried to be somewhat composed. “Em. I’d be honoured to dance with you. I told you earlier, my brothers can go screw themselves.” he shot a warning glare over to everyone, they would not get in the way this time, Lucifer be damned. "but are you sure you'll be..okay? demons will stare." He cursed himself for trying to talk her out of it.  
  
"If..if I just look at you, I should be okay."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little puppeteer with strings right now (¬‿¬) (btw I hope you don't mind the plot changes, we are still gonna do the pacts and save belphie and well I'm sure you can guess what I've been hinting with Solomon)
> 
> Did you really think I wouldn't have a dance scene at a party in a royal castle ;) shame on you. btw em is drunk lol so a bit bolder.
> 
> Oh I could have been SO mean with that middle page break but you know what we needed a little bit more at the end of this chapter, we are starting to see some real growth in Leviathan now! Hoping you all enjoy.
> 
> And I hope Abaddon is likeable <3 
> 
> Next chapter is cute. that's all I'm saying.


	29. Thank You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Em dance.
> 
> Very fluffy chapter.

“Aw hell n-” Satan threw his hand over Mammon's mouth, crushing his lips slightly to stop him from interrupting, and shot a nod of approval at his purple haired brother. Abbadon and Asmodeus just grinned from ear to ear behind their hands as they watched the two awkwardly stroll over to the main dance floor.

_Thank you, Satan._

Beel looked over to Lucifer who was hunched over a little at the bar, looking a little regretful of his actions. He decided he’d help his shut-in brother anyway he could and made his own way over to help serve as a distraction in case he found an opportunity to interfere.

Levi’s heart was pounding. He never expected this outcome, Em had shocked him to his very core with the suggestion; but he couldn’t stop smiling and after a minute of awkward silence between the two, he made the first move.

He trembled slightly and cleared his throat “S-should we g-go then?” and extended his palm out for her to take. She matched his nervousness and was shaking like a little blue leaf, but she accepted and placed her fingers in his palm and the two of them slunk off to hide themselves in the sea of demons.

Luckily they weren’t the only ones on the dance floor, drunk figures surrounded them, succubi, incubi, cambions and archdemons and demonesses all blending into one. Levi suddenly forgot how to walk, he had been to countless of these events being roped into dancing with high class demonnesses in the past to keep up appearances but with Em he felt waves of anxiety about the act, somehow forgetting his own advice.

_Just keep calm, you’ve done this a million times._

_I’m..I’m terrified though, has she...figured out my feelings or are we just dancing as..friends?_

_No, that’s not important right now, just remember what you know._

They stopped just behind a pillar, obscuring them from everyone's view, just in case Lucifer did dare to interfere and taking note of Ems anxiety. Levi turned to face her and started to slowly approach, one arm hovering around her waist.

_I-I oh jeez I forgot I had to put my hand there, but I’ve held her before, what’s the big deal!_

She laughed nervously and started to play with her hair again, but snapped her head up at him with a brief confidence, mostly due to the wine. And she held his hand down around her waist, resting her other arm on his shoulder as they began to step back and forth, in rhythm to the music, three steps at a time. It was a slow song and slightly off key. 

As they leaned into each other, Em couldn’t help but break the silence, her eyes widened slightly with familiarity _“Oh! I recognize this song...is it...Beathoven?_ ”

Levi whispered into her ear, thankful for her breaking the tension as he giggled _.“Yeah for some reason demons are quite fond of him, I’m..sorry if the music isn’t your thing though; demon classical music can be a bit, jarring? to the ears.”_

 _“N-no it’s fine, I-I actually don’t mind it.”_ She smiled and gazed up into his amber eyes, it had been an eventful night for the two of them but it felt right for her to end things on a positive note. 

He smiled back at her with an almost dreamlike expression as they prepared for the twirl, and couldn’t stop staring; taking everything in. The way her skin practically glowed in the ambience under the chandelier light, how she chewed her lip in frustration as she faltered with her timing and the loose strands of her hair bouncing off her cheeks with each dipping movement.

It must have been nearing midnight in the Devildom now and the temperature was below freezing, but in that moment it was like the pair of them were under a giant sun beaming down on them, the pale moon shining through the windows creating a beautiful almost ghostly effect on the castle hall.

Finally the end was near, he twirled her around gently as they laughed at the ridiculousness , and as they moved in for the final dip he whispered in her ear, his breath tickling her a little. 

“ _Thank you for everything, Em_.”

_“You’re welcome, Levi.”_

The music faded out and the dance drew to a close, as they parted ways.

* * *

The walk back was excruciating for the pair of them as their heads spun and their feet ached. Em kept her eyes on the ground; she had been feeling strange during the entire dance and hadn’t been able to look at anything else but Levi’s eyes; entranced by them like a snake, charming and coaxing her in. How soft and fluffy his violet hair looked as it floated in the small breeze when they spun around, as they laughed like a pair of idiots without a care in the world.

And how fast her heart had beat, as he leant in towards her. In that moment she had frozen in place; she’d felt her eyes fluttering closed as his lips edged closer, and then suddenly detoured to the left of her face.

“Em. are you okay? We’re leaving now, I promise” He tilted his head in concern as they approached the others, she hadn’t said anything to him since the dance had finished.

_Is..is she alright, did I do something wrong?_

Suddenly she snapped her head up at him like she had been in some sort of trance. “Huh? O-oh yeah I-I’m fine….thank you for dancing with me.” her cheeks burned as she caught his line of sight again and she threw her head back down; for some reason unable to look him in the eyes all of a sudden.

He frowned at her and was about to say something but his brothers couldn’t withhold their need to interrupt any longer. Lucifer was at the bar still, his eyes like lasers piercing into Levi’s face; Beel had tried to distract him but alas he had turned his head just in time to see them returning. 

_Oh shit Lucifer was watching...oh god I didn’t think this through, at all. I said screw them but there’s no way in all of the three realms I can deny anything now...Em’s not helping the situation with how quiet she’s being either._

_Please, father. Don’t let them say anything weird right now, I’m begging you._

“Oooooh Em did you have fun~ Did you two k-” Levi shot his flirtatious sibling a look that could kill, if Asmodeus finished that sentence he would tear the castle apart if need be. Asmo got the hint and snapped his mouth shut before the sound escaped from his throat.

_I don’t know why I even bother anymore._

“I didn’t see much but your footwork..wasn’t bad, nice going brother.” Satan remarked. “Anyway, I suppose I’ll have to escort Abbadon home; she’s had a little too much to drink, see you all later.” He tapped the red headed woman on the shoulder and gestured towards the door.

“I’ll see you all another time, it was great meeting you...again Leviathan, see you on Wednesday Em!”

Beel leaned in to Levi and whispered an apology “ _I did try to distract Lucifer for you, but he whipped his head around just as it was finishing..I’m sorry bro_ ” and he pouted looking guilt ridden. 

“It’s not your fault. I don’t know why he has to constantly interfere” Levi rolled his eyes, cursing his oldest brother.

“Oi Levi, why’d you steal her away from me like that, I was gonna ask her to dance” Mammon wasn’t happy and was pulling the puppy dog approach. Levi just exhaled, deciding to ignore him, he was physically and emotionally exhausted and beyond ready for bed.

_Dude she asked ME to dance, how was I the one stealing her?!_

Em was quickly whisked away by Asmodeus, wanting to know all the details of the waltz and how it was to dance with a demon. He wouldn’t rain on his brother's parade completely; but the itch to know how it went was too much to bear. 

Oddly enough the human girl barely spoke a word to any of them and before they knew it they’d all reached their home after a very long and eventful night.

* * *

They all bid goodnight and Mammon offered to walk Em to her room. “A-a-actually I’m gonna head there myself if you don’t mind, I-I still need a bit of air after tonight..goodnight everyone!” She bowed respectfully and turned on her heels. Everyone shot concerned looks towards each other as they watched her disappear into the night.

“ **Leviathan.** I’m going to bed now, but tomorrow I want all of your...things involving that cartoon woman. And…”he bit his lip. “ **Nevermind** , I’ll see you all tomorrow.” His oldest brother stormed off towards his office, not even waiting for a reply.

_That was...weird, for both of them._

Levi meandered to his room and practically threw himself on his sofa, still dressed in the suit with the scent of Ems cinnamon shampoo lingering on the fabric. He stared at the ceiling, and _was_ hit with that all too familiar sting of loneliness as he glanced around his room. Henry was bobbing away in his fish tank and the other fish in the aquarium were swimming freely but Leviathan had never felt more alone after his break down earlier that night.  
  
 _I still can't believe I danced with her, a-and that she even asked me!  
  
She looked..amazing. _

_Part of me is scared of falling asleep incase I wake up and it was all a dream._

_Was...my room always this big, and empty looking?_

His eyes trailed down to the other end of the train like sofa, there was a lot of seating room for just one man; it just served as a painful reminder to him again that there was no one to share all this space with, even though he'd filled it with memorabilia and things that were precious to him, the place just felt like it lacked something.

And as much as he would have liked to have that dance with Em as the last thing before he fell asleep, he instead remembered the hushed talk with Satan earlier.

_“I...didn’t want to bring this up but when I got here..I did think it was strange that immortal demons were in an academy, for how long are you supposed to be studying at RAD for?”._

What Em had said that night kept playing in Levi’s mind and he wondered if by chance, Lucifer knew anything more than he let on. However he decided he’d ignore it for now, he’d had enough drama for one night too and his brain was nearing it’s limit. 

Unable to stay awake for much longer, he reached for his DDD and typed a quick text goodnight to Em about ready to pass out.

Leviathan: Sorry if I'm bothering you ^^

Leviathan: I just wanted to say that I had a great night overall; minus the crying and Lucifer lol

Leviathan: I hope he didn't scare you too much.

Leviathan: Good night Em :)

He was just about to close his eyes when he saw her name turn green, but she took awhile before responding.

_I love you Em but please hurry up and answer, I’m exhausted…_

Em: I had a great night too.

_Okay, finally I can get so-_

Em: I’m on my way.

_WHAT?!_

Levi leapt off his sofa and launched himself into the bathroom almost falling flat on his face at the speed and velocity. He tore his clothes off quicker than the speed of light, throwing the nearest tshirt and jeans on, his shirt was barely over his head when the door knocked.  
  
Mustering any remaining energy he had, he took a deep breath and opened the door. He was met with two very wide ocean coloured eyes staring up at him almost in shock of being there herself, she had also changed out of her dress and was now wearing a pair of purple pyjamas with her go-to bunny slippers. “H-hey, can I come in?"

_What...what is happening right now?_

_“_ Uhh...you..can. But are you sure you want to? It is really late, Em. Is something wrong? Do you feel sick? Was it the wine? Are you upset over what Lucifer said? Is it because of the succubi? Ar-” He was cut off his Leviathan style ramble as Em just strode through the door past him and sat down on his sofa. Levi just stared into the corridor for a few seconds in amazement and fear slowly crept up inside him.

_I definitely did...something didn't I?_

“Everything's fine, I’m..really sorry. I know it's late but.. after everything that happened tonight I-I just didn’t want you to be alone.” She paused and started playing with her hair that was now flowing down freely.” And selfishlessly I didn’t want to be..alone either. Ugh I’m sorry if I’m not making any sense.” 

“O-oh. Well you’re not selfish for that Em. To be honest..I didn’t want to be alone either tonight” blush rose on his cheeks.

_But I’m used to it..._

“T-thank you, again I’m really sorry about this, I’m keeping you awake; you must be exhausted.”

“Hey, stop apologizing... would you like anything to eat or drink? I know you didn’t really get much of a chance tonight. I’m really sorry for my idiot brothers; they were supposed to look after you..we all were.”

She smiled up at him but had a look of regret in her eyes.“A glass of water would be great, thank you. But what happened tonight is my fault, none of you are to blame I just..got lost in my own head..with..memories.”

"I...don't have any glasses here, so this will have to do, sorry.." Levi grabbed a bottle of water from his minifridge as he talked, and then cautiously sat down on the sofa handing it to her. “Do..you want to talk about it? To be honest Em, I felt really guilty tonight, I-I realized that we don’t really know much about each other and.. I didn’t even know you were into history. I’m a bad friend, I always talk about my stupid games and animé, but I’d like to know more about you, if you’ll let me.” 

“Thank you..and o-oh you’re right! But you’re not a bad friend Levi, it’s my fault I keep everything hidden away about my human life but..if you really really want to know me then I’ll answer your questions; just maybe not about…” Em started to absently squeeze the bottle of water, but Levi reassured her he wouldn’t pry too much.

“Understood, I won’t ask about him at all until _you’re_ ready to talk about it.”

The two exchanged a somber smile and talked into the night, Levi learned she was indeed a cat person, in the human realm she excelled in History, English and had a love of plants thanks to her mother's job as a florist. However at the mention of her mother she quickly steered the conversation back to hobbies and interests.  
  
She didn’t have a particular taste in music but she was also a lover of k-pop and found herself listening to punk rock alot. When it came to things she didn’t like she had laughed sheepishly. “I’m not the biggest fan of spiders, there was one in my room a few days ago and I summoned Beel to come take care of it..”

“Oooof bad move, Beel haaaaates spiders LOL, did he scream like an imp and run away?” Levi winced. 

“Wait, he hates spiders? Ah that explains why he ran to get Lucifer... Huh that’s kind of..ironic considering his demon form..” she brought her hand to her mouth and giggled, very amused at the thought of the tallest and largest brother being scared of something so small and powerless in comparison to himself.

“Yeah... we like to think it was a bad joke on our Fathers behalf” Levi remarked and rested his head back on the sofa, turning to face her whilst she laughed.

_She’s so...cute._

The mood gradually changed between them as they started laughing and joking together, they were both exhausted beyond recognition but couldn’t stop themselves asking more about eachother. “What about you Levi, what sort of things do you like?”

“You mean besides animé and games? Well I really like milk tea, never been a fan of coffee personally. And most days when I’ve finished my assignments I’ll work on coding my game or trying to create new apps..it’s sort of my dream to be a programmer; but it’s a really hard field to get into…” He suddenly looked down wistfully.” Oh but my other dream, I wouldn’t mind being a Deviltuber; getting paid to play games all day? Pfff who wouldn’t love that.” It suddenly occurred to Levi that they’d both been talking for quite some time, he stopped almost mid sentence and noted the temperature change in the atmosphere.

“Ugh, it’s..4am. Jeez have we really been talking all night? Well..you should probably get back to your room now.” he stated regretfully, mentally kicking himself for getting so carried away.

“O-oh you're probably right..“

Levi bit his lip, of course he wanted to ask her if would like to sleep there but his brothers would have his head if they found out. Especially after dancing together so intimately that night. In the end they both decided it was best for her to return to her room, as quietly as possible.

“Well it’s been about the longest night of my life, but I really enjoyed it, thank you so much for everything..I might be a little late attending breakfast though” she smiled sheepishly. “Goodnight Levi, I had a lot of fun getting to know you more.”

“Good night, Em..but-”

“Hm?” she tilted her head, waiting for the rest of his sentence patiently.

“Well, if you ever feel lonely like this again you can always... summon me. Ah! Just maybe shoot a warning text first incase I’m asleep or in the shower hah”

“O-oh you’re right I didn’t even think about that…” blush crept up on the both of them imagining the possibilities had she chosen an unfortunate time to summon any of the brothers she’d had pacts with. 

“A-anyway I’ll let you finally get some sleep. I..I’ll see you later.” Without thinking about it she leant in towards him and pecked him on the cheek before whispering into his ear. _"Thank you for dancing with me tonight._ "

Levi’s pupils shrank to the size of dots as she bid him goodnight, practically running out of the door.

_What..the..hell_

“Y-yeah…” He sat in shock as the door closed and lay back on the sofa, tracing where she had planted a kiss on his cheek with his thumb, before he finally drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)
> 
> That little kiss there just felt right idk. After comforting eachother, dancing with eachother and talking all night I think it would have been wrong to not put a cheeky little peck.
> 
> Still a slow burn unfortunately ;) Next chapter might take a few days as I'm a little busy right now.


	30. Why?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Beel talk about the kiss, Em starts to think about things.

Just an hour later Levi woke up with a start, his alarm for training was going off. He grimaced as he realized what it was for, his body was killing him after the dancing last night.

_Ugh..this is the last thing I want to do right now!_

He pulled himself up from his sofa as he woke up from his groggy state, to think that a few short hours ago the woman he loved had been sitting right next to him as they laughed, joked and told each other about themselves; both desperate to know more after every question. And then as she was leaving…

_She...kissed my cheek? Did it..mean something? Am I reading too much into it?_

Levi’s mind was plagued with questions right now and he thought maybe the best thing to do was to speak to someone, someone who could be trusted with the information. Sighing defeatedly he pulled out his DDD and messaged the one brother he knew wouldn’t betray him.

Leviathan: Hey Beel, can you join me at the lake this time

Leviathan: I need to talk to you about something

Leviathan: Something happened with Em.

Almost instantly he received a response.

Beelzebub: Wait seriously??

Beelzebub: Good or bad?

Leviathan: Good? I think? 

Leviathan: Ugh just come, please?

Levi grabbed his black running shoes and settled for a quick wash as he’d be needing a shower after the workout anyway; changing into a blue tank top and some black shorts. He slowly made his way down to the main gate and followed the snaking path right of the House where the smell of saltwater blessed his aquatic loving nose.

The Devildom lake was a beautiful and mysterious place; trees twisted like claws scraping up to the eternal night and the purple shaded grass hugged the shoreline around the massive deep blue dip.

Miraculously Beel was already there sitting on one of the large rocks just near the slope, where water and land met.

“Bro, as soon as I read your message I took a detour from my usual route; what happened!” The red haired sibling called out to Levi; he was wearing a red tank top and some white shorts and was a little out of breath as he had presumably ran from his usual route.

Levi didn’t know where to start, he slumped over on the rock nearest Beel and took a deep breath, recounting the events of that long evening; leaving out his own breakdown and anything he felt was confidential. His brother listened intently and his eyes softened hearing about the details of the dance; then finally a look of shock upon the final reveal.

“Wait, hold up! SHE KISSED YOU?!” his eyes widened with surprise and shock, he had thought Leviathan would be the one to make a move, not the shy human girl.

_Could you say it any louder? I really hope Lucifer isn’t walking Doggy McDogface around here today..._

“Yeah but on the cheek! Is..is that a big deal? I mean, she’s already kissed me there before with the whole stupid pact thing...ugh. I’m so confused, Beel.” Levi threw his head in his hands, combing through his hair with his fingers in frustration.

Beel scratched his chin as he reflected on his brother's tale. “Well...I’m really not an expert in these things Levi but, it sounds like she might like you? I don’t know...it's..it’s a tough call.” they both sighed as they got lost in their own thoughts, and then the gluttonous brother spoke once more.

“Have you thought about just asking her?” 

Levi looked at him like he had three heads, the thought of asking her a question that bold was terrifying to him. He’d come a long way in terms of confidence of course but to ask something like that was out of the question; it was too much. “I can’t ask her something like that! Can you imagine if it turned out to be nothing? She’d think I was pathetic getting worked up over a little peck on the cheek…”

“Levi..you’re doin it again bro. You think too much. Em isn’t that sort of person. I mean, I have absolutely no idea why she kissed you, but you need to talk about it. Or...and you might hate this idea even more.” Beel chewed on his lip; he was about to give the worst or best suggestion to his brother. “You could ask Asmo.”

“You think he can be trusted with knowing? Ugh I know he’s probably the best when it comes to this sort of thing but..” Levi cringed. “He’s going to tease me even more isn’t he?”

“Unfortunately yeah he will, you know Asmo” he laughed heartily. “But it’s going to drive you crazy if you keep it between just us for much longer, I know you don’t want Lucifer knowing and I don’t blame you but…” Beel snapped his eyes open as he remembered a very important detail. “Wait, how's the Nate thing going with Em? You don’t think she..kissed you thinking you were him right?”

“Ughhh I didn’t even consider that!” Levi groaned once more and stared up at the moon. “I’m not sure..about the Nate thing; she’s been mentioning him a little less since she told us all about him, well last night she said we could talk about anything that didn’t involve him so I guess it’s still a sensitive subject for her.”

“Hey it’s okay, cheer up” Beel looked at his older brother with a sympathetic frown, it looked like Levi was racking his brain with this and he felt bad that he couldn’t help him. “I think you should talk to Asmo about it, we can’t keep this a secret forever.”

_Forever huh.. That's my other problem, but Asmo can’t help with that one._

Levi looked down at the ground. “Beel...do you think I should even tell her how I feel at all?”

“Huh?” Beel snapped his head up in shock, he assumed it would only be a matter of time before he told Em how he felt from the way, especially with the effort he was putting into improving himself lately.

“It’s just...well she’s leaving in less than a year, she’ll be gone forever out of all of our lives and I..I really don’t know how I’ll cope with her gone, and I’ve only known her a few months! Let's say I did confess my feelings and she rejected me, then I’d have to deal with losing her before she’d even returned to her realm.”

“Yeah but Levi, what if she didn’t reject you?” Beel stood up and stretched, they’d been talking for awhile and still hadn’t started their workout. “What if you told her you loved her and she felt the same way?”

_He has a point, what would I do? Would..those few moments of happiness be worth the pain? Could I actually do that to myself?_

The younger, larger brother slapped Levi on the back. “Well, you need to decide what you want to do, I do think you need to talk to one of the others though” taking one final deep exhale he smiled. “I wonder if Belphie would have been any better at this advice stuff than I am”

“He probably would have told me to sleep it off lol, knowing him.”

“Hah you’re probably right, man I hope he’s doing alright wherever he is…”

After their workout had finished Levi felt his chest was a little lighter, but now his brain was heavier at his brother's words. It was still only early, 7am and as much as he wanted to stay awake and think about things, he was still exhausted from the evening and now his aching muscles from the run. 

_I’ll just have a quick nap._

He felt his eyelids getting heavy as soon as he sat back down in his bedtub and before he knew it,he was whisked away into a deep sleep.

**You have 3 new messages.**

Lucifer: Where are you?  
Lucifer: Don’t tell me, you’re binging your cartoons again aren’t you.  
Lucifer: If you’re not here with that pillow in the next ten minutes, I will bash down that door and take it by force.

Levi woke up for the second time that day, to several loud bangs.

“ **LEVIATHAN. GET OUT OF THAT ROOM, NOW.”** Lucifer's voice roared from the other side of the door as he started hammering away, causing it to rattle on the frame.

_Oh shit!_

Levi wasted no time and threw himself across the room, opening the door before his brother really did bash it down. He was met with a pair of monstrous looking blood red eyes piercing into his soul.

“M-mornin bro! So uhhh funny thing, I-I fell asleep after my workout LOL.” Levi smiled innocently whilst scratching the back of his head.

Lucifer was furious, he already wasn’t in the best of moods at the brothers behaviour the previous night, along with Mammons drinking, Levi and Ems disappearance and behaviour, Beel had eaten so much food that the buffet ran out earlier than planned and Asmodeus and his women had used someone else's bedroom suite and practically tore the place apart. No, Lucifer was beside himself with rage today, and he needed a release.

To Levi’s horror Lucifer had a wide almost sadistic looking grin on his face “ **Good morning, sleeping beauty. I’m so sorry, did I wake you?”** the older brother spoke in a very mocking tone and then instantly dropped the facade.

 **Pillow. now. AND I’m revoking your texting privileges, if I see one hint of you being online or in a chatroom, you’re going to regret being immortal”** He snapped his attention to the large Ruri-chan body pillow on the sofa, gesturing with his finger to bring it forth.

“Fine, here.” Levi exhaled and grabbed his pillow with not a care in the world, he was more bothered about the texting ban than his body-pillow. Lucifer snatched it off him, looking dissatisfied with the lack of a reaction. 

“I’ll take the other ones too, **all** of them.” He smirked expecting some sort of outburst, much to his disappointment his younger brother just shrugged and handed them over. This wasn’t at all how he wanted things to turn out, he enjoyed seeing his brother's pain sometimes, it made him feel better about his own.

The purple haired demon sighed “Is that all? Do you want anything else?”. He just wanted Lucifer to leave him alone, he was exhausted from his workout and the lack of sleep that night.

“W-what?.” Lucifer was speechless, for once and his mouth hung open for a few seconds. His shut in otaku brother would normally kick up a storm, cry and beg for his Ruri-chan pillows but the man in front of him was handing them over like he’d asked him to pass the salt at the breakfast table. He quickly picked up his composure and overall strict demeanour. “..No. That will be all for now. Get changed and come downstairs, everyone's waiting. I have to go wake Em up, she’s late this morning.”

_Jeez, good luck Em..._

He slammed the door with such force that the other screw popped out of its hinges. Levi sighed as he heard the clinking of the metal bouncing off the floor.

_For Mephisto’s sake I JUST fixed that._

* * *

Ems POV

It's 4am, and I can't sleep. I just got back from Levi's room.

So much happened last night, it's hard to concentrate on anything. But I don't think I'll ever forget our dance together, it was...magical. Of course it was a little awkward at first because he wouldn’t hold my waist and a waltz kind of requires that, it made me laugh to see him so flustered, a 4000 year old demon that was trembling at the thought of dancing with a woman? He can be...quite cute sometimes. I was surprised at myself for even asking him to dance, and even more surprised at the fact he accepted my invitation.

He was so different last night, so confident and assertive. He even stood up to Lucifer for me! I thought Lucifer was going to rip his head off with the look he was giving him but no, he just wanted his waifu pillows. But as the dance came to an end I realized I never ever took my eyes off his face, once again just entranced by his eyes, the smile on his face when he looked down at me and the electricity coursing through my body when he laughed.

And then, right at the end he slowly leaned into me and I felt my body leaning in towards him, but then his face turned towards my left ear and he whispered into it. 

_“Thank you, for everything Em.”_

Of course I mumbled something back but, as the music faded and he pulled away from me I couldn’t help but feel strange, like my heart had dropped a little when he turned his head. But..why? As we made our way back to everyone else my heart sank that we weren’t frozen in time in that magical moment. He noticed that I was behaving a little odd even for me after it and told me we were all leaving, and as I gazed up to look at him like I have so so many times before, I realized I just couldn’t look at him, not for more than a second.

Thankfully Asmo whisked me away before he could ask me if something was wrong, I didn’t exactly want to say “I’m sorry but I can’t look at you right now” that’s not very good for his confidence is it? Asmodeus went on and on about how he was jealous Levi got the last dance with me and if he hadn’t have gone to...deal with those succubi he would’ve made sure I’d have danced till I couldn’t feel my legs, but as he was talking I felt strange; I looked back over at Levi who was just walking with Beel behind us and I felt my heart just urging me to go over to him.

The feeling got worse as we returned home, I didn’t know what to do so I forced myself back to my room. Convinced it was the alcohol; apparently the alcohol in the Devildom is much stronger than the human realm, so it explains why my tolerance has been so low to it lately, that’s what Solomon told me but it didn’t seem to affect him.

Oh Solomon, he was so looking forward to seeing me at that party and I completely forgot to even say hi with everything that had happened between Levi and I; he must feel so offended. I must make things up to him tomorrow.

Anyway, I’d just gotten changed into my pyjamas and lay on my bed when I heard my DDD beeping, it was Levi wishing me good night, checking up on me after Lucifer had yelled at us. Before I knew it I was putting my slippers on and was out of the door, creeping down the corridors as I texted him that I was on my way. I have no idea why I didn't just summon him, I wasn't thinking straight.

As I approached his dark blue door a surge of panic engulfed me; what the hell was I doing? It was already so late and we’d been through so much I knew he’d be exhausted beyond comparison. But it was like an urge deep down in my body was screaming at me to go to him.

Thankfully he didn’t seem to be annoyed at the disturbance, I’m surprised he even humoured me. He started rambling on about what was wrong with me and I just let myself into his room walking past him, that was so rude of me but I was worried he was going to send me away.

I told him I didn’t want him to be alone that night, or me. After he poured his heart out to me and let me see him so emotionally naked like that I just felt like I needed to be with him, I cannot believe he's lived such a lonely existence for so so many years, I was speechless to hear that I'm the first person to ever want to get to know him more; and that he'd have trouble coping when I left...that brought tears to my eyes. I've never seen a man cry so I know it must have been hard for him, not even Nate showed me such a vulnerable and emotional side to him; on his bad days all he had was rage and bitterness, not despair or loneliness like Levi had.

After that awkward as hell entrance we both started talking, just about little things like what I liked, what he liked, what we both didn’t like and I felt that airy feeling again. My heart raced as he laughed and told jokes, it ached hearing him talk about his dream job like it was never going to happen for him. .

Then I did something very strange, he bid me goodnight and it was like I wanted to revisit the pact thing again. I’m not entirely sure why but as I pulled myself off his sofa, I leant in towards him and I kissed him on the cheek and when I realized what I’d done I thanked him for the dance, and got the hell out of there before he could ask me about it.

Why did I run to his room so late at night?Why was I hoping to stay there longer? Why did I kiss him goodnight? Was it because I wanted to thank him for the evening, or..pity? 

I don't think I can go to breakfast today, I'm exhausted as it is and all these strange thoughts keep popping into my head. I just hope Lucifer isn't too upset with me, and I hope Levi doesn't think I'm weird for that peck on the cheek.

I'm just so confused right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is...is this..the start of mutual feelies? 30 chapters in ◉_◉  
> Maybe it is maybe it isn't ;)
> 
> One more chapter and then the chapter after is where the fabled group retreat/camping trip arc begins.  
> Asmo pact coming up.


	31. An Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Em and Lucifer have a moment, Em shocks Levi.

Ems POV 

_I couldn’t get any sleep in the end._

_I wonder if he did._

“Em, it’s me. Lucifer.” a deep voice and several strong knocks threw Em out of her internal torment. She had spent all morning just lying on her bed staring at the ceiling, trying to make sense of her recent actions but to no avail.

_He must think I’m so strange.._

_I don’t know why I did it ugh! Was it the drink? Or did I...want to kiss him? No no don’t be stupid, Levi is my friend._

_I wonder if he's angry with me..Nate would be..ugh what am I saying, Levi's not like that._

Em flashed her eyes open and looked around her room, it was a mess and she had just thrown her clothes off on the floor. Knowing Lucifer was a bit of a clean freak she sprang out of bed and threw the heap into a nearby drawer. “I’m coming!”.

As she opened the door she felt a shudder down her spine, he had apologized for trying to kill her weeks ago but Em was absolutely terrified of the oldest brother; no matter how much time passed she couldn’t look past his true demon form and it haunted her most nights in her dreams.

“Good morning, are you going to be joining us for breakfast today?” Lucifer looked stoic as usual, maybe a little more pissed off than usual as his eyes were narrowed like he wanted to be somewhere else entirely.

“I...I don’t think I can..I’m sorry Lucifer.” Em sighed and put her hand on her arm as she looked at the floor, avoiding the demons eyes. “I’m not really feeling well, I think i might have drank a little too much last night; and I didn’t really get much sleep.. I’m so sorry!” she bowed respectfully, still refusing to look up into those sulphur eyes.  
  
Lucifer sighed and crossed his arms. “May I come in, Em?” 

“H-huh? Umm s-sure” she moved out of the way so he could pass. Terrified of what he wanted, due to fact Lucifer never asked to be invited inside her room and would normally either summon her to his office or talk in the open corridor.

“Don’t worry. I’m not here to lecture you” he bit his lip and exhaled. “About my actions last night. Leviathan may have... _had a point_ .”. Lucifer spat the last few words out, he hated being wrong especially when it was his brother pointing it out, he was a very proud man. “I cannot excuse **his** behaviour last night but I suppose I’ll let you off with a warning..and.”

“A-and?”

“If you ever need assistance or somewhere to calm yourself, my office is always open.” He coughed uncomfortably, kindness wasn’t something that came naturally to the oldest brother, he wasn’t heartless, he just didn’t know how to show it. 

“O-oh, t-thank you so much..but”  
  
“But?” one of his eyebrows raised. Not many people said that word to Lucifer and lived to see the next day.

“W-well I wish you wouldn’t be so hard on Levi.. he was only trying to protect me.” Em mumbled, whilst twisting her jet black curls. She felt like she was to blame for Levi being punished so harshly by his brother as it was her fault in the first place for running off without telling anyone and keeping things bottled up inside her like usual.

Lucifer closed his eyes and pinched his temple. “That is exactly the reason I have to be hard on my brother, Em.” 

“Huh, w-what do you mean by that?”

“It’s nothing. **Nevermind**. Anyway, are you sure you won’t attend breakfast? Everyone is waiting.”

“I-I would but really, I got no sleep last night...I-I was actually wondering if I could skip classes today too”

Lucifer raised his eyebrow slightly but then after a quick scan of her physique; the dark circles, bloodshot eyes and unkempt appearance he decided to allow it. “Very well. But you cannot make a habit of this, I expect this sort of behaviour from my brothers but don’t give me a reason to punish you as well.”

“T-thank you” Em looked up at him, there was the faintest hint of blush on his cheeks and he was pressing his lips together like he was trying not to smile. “I really appreciate it, Lucifer.” 

“Good. Now I must get down to breakfast; if you need anything, let me know via the DDD and I will have the kitchen demons bring it up. Oh and I’ve revoked Leviathans’ texting privileges for a few days as punishment for making a fool of me last night, so you won’t be able to get a hold of him as easily.”

“O-oh, thanks for telling me…” she bit her lip, cursing herself for not messaging him at all since she returned to her room, however Lucifer said he’d revoked his texting not his reading “D-does that mean you took his DDD off him?”

“Hmm? No, I should have though.” he turned his head thoughtfully. “Anyway I must be off, Cerberus still needs his walk and I need a coffee.” He marched towards the door and then snapped his head back around. “My sincerest apologies again, for not taking into account your anxiety last night. I will be more thoughtful in the future.”

“I-its okay Lucifer, I’m the one who should apologize, I should trust you all more...I promise it won’t happen again.”

“Yes” he smirked “you should trust us more. You’ve been here for quite some time now.” he nodded once as a gesture of approval and then shut the door over on himself, pacing down the corridor towards the staircase.

_How can I get in touch with Levi...if I messaged him would he be able to read the texts without Lucifer knowing? Or I could summon him… but this morning he mentioned that he could be asleep or in the shower. Ugh. I don’t know what to do._

_Can I even face him after doing something that embarrassing?_

“Oh! I forgot to check my DDD for any messages!” To her shock Em had quite a bombardment of messages from people including her favourite demon.

Leviathan: So I got no sleep LOL my stupid alarm for running just went off

Leviathan: I didn’t get a chance to say it before you left earlier

Leviathan: I also really enjoyed getting to know you, it was fun and I wouldn’t mind doing that again sometime ^^

Leviathan: Anyway I’d better get going T_T 

Leviathan: I’ll see you later, hope you got more sleep than me!

Em smiled down fondly at her DDD, but then a pang of guilt hit her in the chest. Was she skipping breakfast to avoid him or was it because she was actually exhausted?

Em: Good morning! Lucifer told me about the no text thing :(

Em: On the off chance you can still read my message

Em: I’m sorry I didn’t show up for breakfast

Em: but please come to my room around 5 ^^

_He might not be able to read it but.._

_I have to apologize for that kiss._

* * *

Mammon: Oi why aren’t you coming down?

Mammon: And Lucifer said ya aint coming to class??

Mammon: Did Levi do somethin’ to ya?

Mammon: Remember what I said, I’ll shave his pretty little head just say the word

Em: Levi didn’t do anything! and leave his hair alone! I’m just tired T_T

Em: I wasn’t able to get any sleep.

* * *

Satan: Good morning Em

Satan: Hope you feel better soon

Satan: I can bring a few books if you need some light reading material

Em: Oh good morning! Thank you that would be lovely

Satan: Anything in particular you’re after? More of those tragedies?

Em: lol I actually think I’m done with tragic one ^^;;

Em: I’ve cried all my tears T_T

Em: Something lighthearted and funny I think ^^

Satan: I should have a few things like that :) Take care

* * *

Solomon: Hey Em, I’m a little upset I never ran into you last night

Solomon: I would have loved to have seen your dress :(

Solomon: But are we still on for tomorrow?

Em: Hey Solomon! I’m so sorry about last night

_Should I just be honest with him? He's seen me have a panic attack in work_

Em: I had a panic attack so Levi was keeping me company all night (ಥ﹏ಥ)

Solomon: Oh no D: I’m so sorry to hear about that

Solomon: I would have kept you company if I’d have known

_Hmm..Satan said he and Levi had a falling out last night.._

Em: It’s okay, I’m fine now! Levi cheered me up :)

Em: Solomon can I ask you something?

Solomon: Of course you can, anything :)

Solomon: Within reason of course lol

_What does that mean?_

Em: What happened with you and Levi last night?

Solomon: I don’t know what you mean ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Em: Satan mentioned you and Levi having a fight? Or a tussle I think are the words he used.

Solomon: Ah sorry Em I have to get to class

Solomon: I’ll see you tomorrow okay :)? 

Solomon: It’s just us right? 

Em: Yes :) 

Solomon: Great, it’s a date then ;)

Solomon has gone offline.

_Is it just me or was he dodging when I asked about Levi?_

_I’ll just have to ask him tomorrow…_

* * *

Asmodeus: Hey Em, we just heard you’re not joining us :(

Asmodeus: I wanted to see your cute face~

Em: Hey sorry, I got no sleep :(

Em: I blame the wine T_T

Asmodeus: Are you sure it wasn’t Levi~

Em: I don’t know what you mean ^^

Asmodeus: Oh Em, you’re too innocent ~

Asmodeus; Anyway, feel better soon. We all miss you ~

* * *

Beelzebub: Hey Em hope you’re feeling better soon

Beelzebub: Levi’s worried about you :(

Beelzebub: He can’t message you anymore because of Lucifer

Beelzebub: But you could always summon him?

Em: Thanks Beel, I should be better after some sleep

Em: I know T_T I feel so bad for him, it's all my fault!

Em: Do you know if he can still read messages? I did message him just now

Beelzebub: He’s right next to me and said he can’t even read things or Lucifer will know

Beelzebub: He also said you're being silly and it's not your fault at all :)

Beelzebub: Is there anything you want me to pass on to him?

Em: Yes! Tell him: Good morning and can you please come to my room later today, we’ll say around 5

Beelzebub: He said he’ll be there :) 

Em: Great! Thanks so much Beel. Tell him I hope he has a good day

Em: I’ll stop spamming you now LOL

Beelzebub: Don’t worry about it :) he said you too and he’ll see you tonight.

_Wow, that was so many messages...when did I have so many people care about me?_

After some time Em finally reached the last messages to respond to, one of her flaws was not being able to stand seeing unread notifications so she spent all morning replying to people. An hour passed and she was finally able to throw her head down on her pillow and fall into a much needed and deserved sleep.

End of Ems POV

* * *

  
He sighed as he pushed the screw back into the door and wiggled the hinge to check it still worked, before making his way down to the breakfast table to be bombarded with questions by his siblings, all except Beel who he’d just seen a few hours prior.

He’d barely got his foot through the door before he was ambushed. Asmodeus called out to him from the table “Sooooo was the dance THAT good~ did you maybe do the….demons tango after we all came home~” he winked suggestively. The other brothers groaned but smirked as Levi sat down, next to the empty chair.

_And Beel wants me to tell him about my feelings? Pfff fat chance._

“What? No. I fell asleep after my workout, anyway ugh Lucifer just dropped by...he revoked my texting privileges!” Levi slammed his head down on the breakfast table, exhausted and fed up already.

“Yikes, that’s got to hurt; especially for you bro.” Beel pouted in sympathy for his internet obsessed brother. “Lucifers been in a foul mood since last night...he’s angry at me because I ate too much of that fancy stuff, apparently the kitchen demons were panicking because there wasn’t enough food left” he laughed awkwardly and gave a big sheepish grin to everyone.

Mammon chewed his lip, he was wearing his black sunglasses today as he was hungover. “Say Levi? Why did Em ask you to dance and not me?”

“I don’t know, ask her! Jeez Mammon she’s her own person. Em can make her own decisions, not _everything_ is my fault.” Levi rolled his eyes, he was sick to death of Mammons white knighting over the human girl. 

“Well I think ya way too friendly with her for my tastes. The two of you sneakin’ off last night, what was all that about? Ya said she had a panic attack but you were gone hours…”

“I’m also interested in this Levi, what exactly happened between you?” Satan had perked up now, he had started to suspect his brothers feelings for Em went way past friendship.

Levi rolled his eyes, he was stressed enough as it is with the talk he’d had with Beel only a few hours earlier, the dance, the kiss and the fact that Solomon might have feelings for her too; it was almost too much to bear for him. Everyone was suddenly ripped away from their inquisitions and Levi was thrust out of his thoughts by the sound of footsteps pacing towards the table.

_Em?_

It was not. Lucifer had returned empty handed upon going to fetch her for breakfast, she had told him she was hungover from the night before and needed to sleep it off today. Feeling a little guilty and regretful from his outburst and the fact he’d tried to kill her, the oldest sibling took pity on her and excused her, but that didn’t mean he wasn’t pissed off with everyone else.

“What in Devildom are you talking about?” It didn’t take the others long to notice Ems absence. Which unfortunately didn’t help Levi’s case at all and all of the brothers were jumping down his throat. “Em won’t be joining us this morning, apparently she’s hungover. **Leviathan.** I really hope her absence has nothing to do with you.”

The brothers exchanged curious glances and then snapped their heads towards Levi, folding their arms disapprovingly as Lucifer broke the news. 

_Is..she avoiding me?! Wait no calm down, she said she might be late for breakfast..but to not come at all..I can’t even text her!_

“No idea what you’re talking about LOL” he took a deep breath and smiled innocently, internally cringing at the facade.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes, and sighed. Em had told him to go easy on his brother but he couldn’t do that as he knew he was falling in love with the human, deep down Lucifer was worried for him.

“Well that might explain why she was so quiet last night, the poor thing can’t handle her drink~” Asmodeus chimed in innocently. Last night he’d noticed Em was unusually quiet after her dance with Levi, and as they walked back to the House her answers were very short like she wasn't even paying attention.

Beel began to feel worried for his otaku brother, especially after their conversation at the lake that morning, and stepped into help. “Well you know I don’t blame her, Lucifer must have scared the hell out of her last night. She probably just wanted to dance with Levi to help calm herself down.” 

_Thank you Beel, remind me to buy you a big box of donuts._

“Ah now that makes more sense! ‘Course that's the only reason she asked Levi to dance” Mammon clapped his hands together as if he just solved the world's biggest riddle. “She probably just didn’t ask me out of kindness because if I’m honest I woulda hurled..” he sighed, slightly regretting the amount of alcohol he drank.

The oldest brother's head snapped back to attention at this.“Yes **Mammon, that’s a very good point.** You are banned from drinking for the next week for your insolence.” Lucifer grinned. “Thank you for reminding me, brother.”

“But about Em, I actually apologized earlier for my outburst.” he said as he flicked through his paper, hoping the other brothers wouldn’t overreact.

“What’s that Lucifer? Sorry I can’t hear ya, I gotta go get to class! Bye everyone!” Mammon launched himself out of the dining room before Lucifer could give him any more lectures.

“Unfortunately I must also get to class. I’ll see you all later” Satan grabbed his plate and disappeared into the kitchen with his DDD in hand. 

“Wow you apologized Luci, has Em stolen your heart too~” Asmodeus giggled. 

_What do you mean too?_

“Don’t be stupid, **she’s a human** . Though I’m sure **everyone** already knows that.” the oldest brother shot a cold glare towards Levi who began to feel very small. “Anyway I have to go walk Cerberus, make sure you all get to class. And Leviathan? Remember, no texting; **I’ll know about it** **if you dare use your DDD**.” Lucifer stood up and walked down the corridor leaving Asmodeus, Beel and Levi alone.

“Ugh is it really time for class already? Well that’s boring, I didn’t even get to see Ems adorable face this morning to keep me going~ I’ll see you guys later!” 

Beel suddenly nudged Levi with his elbow “pssst look who just texted me! Em said she texted you just now” he held his phone out and showed his brother the messages from the human girl. Levi scanned them and smiled down seeing her name and the emojis she used, already missing her.

“Oh? Ugh I can’t even look or Lucifer will see my name as online... “Levi threw his head back on the table in frustration, no texting or using his DDD was going to prove a challenge to him. He was always using his phone for reading articles, sharing cosplay photos and messaged Em constantly throughout the day. He couldn't help but frown as he read Ems messages about blaming herself for his punishment. "She's blaming herself again...so silly. It's not her fault that Lucifer is a jackass."

“Well I’m here? I’ll ask her if she wants to pass a message on to you, but hey this is good. "Beel chucked innocently as he reiterated Levi's reassurance to her. "She’s not avoiding you at least?” 

“Yeah I guess you’re right” the purple haired demon breathed a sigh of relief, he had been worried all morning if her absence was his fault. “But are you alright being used as a messenger demon? 

“Hey I wanna help you” Beel looked down at his DDD and smiled. “There. She said good morning, can you come to her room at 5 and that she hopes you have a good day. So I don’t think you’ve got anything to worry about!” he typed a quick goodbye message to Em and then continued stuffing his face with sausages, bacon and eggs. 

“Thanks...but now I’m worried if she wants to talk about the kiss..ugh.”

“You’re doing it again! Levi...stop overthinking it. You’re seeing her later; just be happy” Beel sighed at his brother. Levi had always been an overthinker and it normally meant he’d wriggle himself out of situations because he thought of the worst possible outcome, or he’d constantly misjudge people from their actions.

“Sorry! I can’t help it…” he sighed.”I’d better get back to my room now, thanks again Beel.”

Beel waved goodbye to his otaku brother and they parted ways. 

* * *

Levi couldn’t get back to his den quick enough, just knowing he’d be seeing Em later that day was enough to motivate him and he jumped into action on his assignments for the day.

“Ugh can time move faster please!” He slammed his head on his desk, causing several small figures to wobble. It had only been three hours and he had another five to go before he could be in her company; regardless of the awkward atmosphere he would be sat in. 

Levi slumped in his chair and looked around his room for something that would kill time.

_I could binge a new show? Cosplay? Code my game? It’s been a while since I played some Runequest?_

In the end Runequest won, but he had exhausted himself of the game from hunting for rare pet drops. 

_Oh my Mephisto I need to kill another hour until I see her! Seriously when did time start to go so slowly!_

Frustrated with a lack of motivation and the dragging of time itself stopping him from seeing the woman he loved, he decided he’d get a nice long shower and clean his room. It had been some time since he had taken a look at his progress; the definition in his torso was a lot more noticeable and the calf muscles in his legs were coming along nicely too, due to running five laps around the lake everyday. 

Beel had told him to try swimming but Levi felt like he wasn’t quite there yet in terms of fitness, as much as he loved the water. He had also put on a little weight and was now somewhere around 165lbs.

_Still underweight...ugh but I eat as much as I can handle now; well, it’s better than nothing._

Levi smiled slightly at his reflection, for probably one of the first times ever and got dressed in a black fitted tshirt and dark blue jeans. Finally it was time for him to go and see Em, after what had felt like one of the longest days in a very long time. 

As he knocked on her bedroom door, the nerves began to fester within him. 

_I’ve seen her countless times so why am I so damn nervous? Beel even said everything was okay and she wasn’t acting weird. But ugh it’s like I’m hyper aware of her now, even more than before when she actually answers and I see her I feel like I won’t be able to concentr-_

“L-levi? Are you okay?” He hadn’t noticed she’d answered the door halfway through his internal rambling and had just stared at him whilst he was lost deep in thought. 

“Huh?” He snapped his head up and flinched, those doe like eyes were staring right up at him with a curious expression on her face. She had gotten changed out of her pyjamas and had a shower so her hair was smooth like honey dripped over her shoulders and she was wearing a white graphic tshirt and black skinny jeans.

“You spaced out again..I-is everything okay?” she asked with concern in her voice.

“S-sorry yeah I’m fine haha, did you sleep well you know after..this morning” He felt blush creeping up, the way he had worded it made it sound like they’d done more than just talked.

_I'm really not helping myself here_

“O-oh yeah, I did eventually..”she giggled nervously. “So are you going to stay out here all night?”

_Why..why does this feel so awkward._

Em shuffled to the side and let him in. Levi was starting to feel like something had changed between them, there was tension now and as he sat on her bed he couldn’t help but notice she had distanced herself ever so slightly.

“Levi..” Em fidgeted and started playing with her hair. “I..I wanted to apologize to you for my behaviour this morning; I’m really sorry for barging in on you like that and..”

 _And?_ He tilted his head and stared down at her expectantly.

“And I’m sorry about the..kiss, I don’t know why I did it! I-I just wanted to thank you for the wonderful evening and I guess I was still a little tipsy heh” she was blushing crimson now and looking down at the floor to avert his piercing gaze.

_She's...sorry? For kissing me? Oh, well I expected that deep down._

“O-oh. It’s okay Em, it didn’t freak me out I was actually..”his breath caught in his throat, there was no way he could finish the end of his sentence. 

_I’ve been worked up all day about this, I was a fool to think it meant something._

“I-I was actually going to apologize too. For keeping you so late, that wasn’t cool and it won’t happen again.” he clenched his fist, feeling ridiculous for even thinking he had a chance with her. He’d waited all day to be in her company and now he felt his insides screaming to get away from her; but he promised himself he wouldn’t ever hurt her like that again.

“O-oh...well, I didn’t mind it! I actually had a lot of fun getting to know more about you. I..was actually curious about Henry 2.0”

“Henry? My fish?”

“Y-yeah, it made me laugh the first time you introduced me because I thought a big scary demon with a pet goldfish was kind of weird, and then I wondered why his name was 2.0..ah! Not that I’m saying I think that about you anymore!” she cursed herself for inadvertently insulting him, she was trying her best to keep the mood light between them after the awkward start.

“You..you thought I was a big scary demon? Ugh I suppose I can’t blame you with how I first acted towards you.” he winced, wanting to go back in time and punch his previous self.

“Well no, I just hadn’t got used to the idea that demons actually existed back then..to be honest I was only really scared of you for that initial outburst, what was it again? That my name sounded like an otome protagonist and you and your brothers were my harem?” she started to laugh, something he really needed at that moment in time. “You really know how to make a lasting impression, Levi.”

Levi grinned at her sheepishly. “I’m so sorry about that...I was just nervous meeting a g- I mean a human for the first time.” He decided to let the kiss thing go, they’d come too far for him to ruin such a good friendship and now the conversation was more natural and warmer between the two.

“It’s okay! Like I said, it was a lasting impression.” she giggled again and scooted closer to him, also feeling more relaxed.”And now you’re my best friend...funny how life works out. I..I actually have one more thing to apologize for though.” she bit her lip in preparation for something she had been mulling over all day.

_Oh jeez what now, she’s sorry for being friends?_

_No shut up, hear her out first._

“I’ve had a lot of time to think about things and..I’m _really_ sorry for lumping you in with Nate all the time Levi. I-I'm so ashamed and embarrassed with myself, I was wrong to think you and him were anything alike. Nate... could be cruel and hateful, I’ll admit that. But you...you’re so kind, bright and I know for a fact Nate would never have looked out for me like you did last night, let alone danced with me when I asked..”

_Wait. what?!_

_You know what Em the kiss thing? forget about it! thing of the past._

_I've been waiting to hear those words for so long..._

“O-oh..I..I’m glad to hear that Em, really. But you shouldn't feel ashamed." Levi tried to contain his joy as his eyes widened and his lip curled into a smile. "Can I..say something about him” he bit his lip. It was never good to speak ill of the dead but he wanted her to know how it felt for him when she compared him all of those times.

“S-sure.” she winced, expecting what was coming. The other brothers hadn’t been as polite as Levi after finding out what happened and Mammon was the first to snap and tell her Nate was scum and to forget about him, Satan would try recommending her psychology books and Asmodeus wished he was alive so he could torture him.

“When you told us all how he treated you I-I'm sorry Em, I know he was your friend and you loved him, but I can't stand the guy. So to hear you say we’re nothing alike really makes me happy, thank you.” he looked down expecting her to be offended, cringing at his own words for how insensitive they sounded.

Ems eyes widened in shock and then a small smile traced her lips. “I don’t blame you for not liking him, not many people did when he was alive..he really was a troubled person.” she exhaled deeply. “I think his mother's death affected him a lot more than he let on..his father really struggled raising him and his brothers alone, he never said it outright but, I think Nate was lonely, he turned all that sadness into rage and just didn’t know how to cope. I’m..not trying to make excuses for him, he really did hurt me many times.” 

She felt Levi's expression change to one of anger, misinterpreting her words. “Oh! I swear the time he threw me was the only time he physically hurt me but..over the years well, you can imagine some of the emotional whipping I took.”. Em pressed her lips together in a hard line as she recalled the first kiss.

“Em..I’m so sorry...I-thank you, for telling me a little more about him. I do feel a _little_ sorry for the guy after hearing that..but hurting you emotionally or physically..it’s unforgivable and he could’ve easily treated you better.” Levi clenched his fists to repress his demonic power rising, if Nate had still been alive he would have made sure he regretted all the horrible things he did to her.

Em scratched the nape of her neck “I’ll tell you one last thing. Have you ever wondered why I hate being referred to as Emilia?” 

“I..I have” Levi winced.”Don’t tell me…”

“Heh yeah, he used to call me Emilia all the time..and my father” she trailed off as she felt the resentment rising in her tone. “A-anyway that’s enough heavy stuff for today!” feeling her voice wavering she snapped her head up and forced a smile.

“Y-yeah of course sorry for bringing the mood down..are you okay?” Levi felt a confident surge in himself. “D-do you want a hug?” he didn't mean anything inappropriate by it and just wanted to comfort her as Nate always seemed to be such a sensitive topic.

“O-oh..actually, yeah I do” she turned to face him as he looked down at her with a heartfelt sombre expression and the two wrapped their arms around each other and embraced as she leant her head on his shoulder. Once more her heart sped up and she tore away after a few seconds. “S-so can we play some Bario Kart? I need something fun after that.”

“Of course we can.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I felt guilty for backtracking over the kiss, so longer chapter than usual and Em finally accepts that Levi and Nate are different people; I think that's a good trade off right <3
> 
> She's still healing but she's getting there.  
> After some feedback about her, I just wanted to expand a little for people who may not understand her character: Em was verbally abused for years by this guy, so she doesn't have a grasp on healthy relationships at all and she does latch on a bit to Levi as she did with Nate because she wanted to help them both, unfortunately it didn't work in her favour and Nate chipped every bit of her confident self away; Levi is her sanctuary and quite literally heals the damage done with his kindness, they are two broken souls that find comfort with eachother.
> 
> We are only a few months into the year of her stay so this will be expanded on gradually.
> 
> Btw I hope the way I write Lucifer doesn't come off too asshole, I just enjoy writing him tormenting the brothers haha, hence why I tried to show his softer side in this chapter with Em.


	32. "Date"

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ems "date" with Solomon reveals a little about his past, fluffy moments with Levi.

The next morning Em woke up feeling great, her and Levi had spent most of the evening together and he had to drag himself out of there after midnight. Neither of them had wanted their time to come to an end. They’d played several games of Bario Kart and then huddled up in a blanket together to re-watch the first four volumes of TSL.

After their awkward conversation about the possibly accidental kiss on the cheek and she’d come clean and apologized about the Nate thing, both of them felt like they could be more open and honest with each other, especially Levi who had been holding back a lot due to fear of being compared.

It had torn down yet another emotional barrier around her heart and the two were on better terms than ever.

_I miss him._

_I’m seeing him at breakfast soon but..I can’t wait for tonight._

She smiled as she remembered being so close to him, feeling his body move as he laughed and the sensation of his head resting against hers as they started to drift off. But then he had stood up and announced he was leaving before Lucifer caught on that he was there so late, he was walking on eggshells with his brother so it did make sense. She couldn’t help but feel disappointed when he had left.

Levi had reminded her that she could summon him, and anytime after 5pm would work as he’d make sure to shower in the morning and being a night owl, he wouldn’t sleep until at least 3am the next day.

They had made plans to see eachother again later that night after Em got back from spending some time with her good friend Solomon. He had insisted on taking her to Hocus Pocus; one of the best places for magical information in the Devildom and said he’d be glad to tutor her in her alchemy anytime.

_I should’ve invited Levi so the two could resolve whatever they argued about…_

_Oh! I forgot to ask about it last night!_

_Should I talk to him about it after breakfast? Solomon isn’t picking me up for a few hours…_

Em stepped out of the shower and brushed her hair. After playing around with some styles she finally settled on leaving it down and free today, but noticed her bangs were starting to obscure her vision and she was getting split ends. 

_I might get a haircut before the camping thing, maybe I’ll cut it shoulder length again...I wonder if he would like it._

Once her hair had been combed of all tangles, she lay some outfits out on her bed.

“Hmm it’s only a day out with Solomon, no need to be fancy.” And picked out a black and white striped shirt, black skinny jeans and her boots. When she was finally dressed and ready she reached into her black shoulder bag for her DDD to text Levi but then felt her heart drop.

_Oh right...he can’t see texts. Ugh Lucifer why do you have to be so hard on him._

Em: Good morning! I know you can’t see this but I’m looking forward to tonight ^^

Em: I actually feel a lot better today, after talking about Nate with you. 

Em: Anyway, whenever you do get your texts I hope you read this ^^

Em: I’ll see you at breakfast!

As she sent her text to Leviathan her DDD buzzed multiple times, she leapt at her phone thinking it was him and maybe Lucifer had let up on his punishment.

Solomon: Good morning!

Solomon: I’ll meet you at the gates around 11

Solomon: Looking forward to today :)

_Oh it's Solomon..._

Em: Good morning!

Em: Yeah me too, I’ve never been to Hocus Pocus ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

_Should I ask..if Levi can come…_

Solomon: It’ll be good to see you one on one

_Oh...well I guess now I can’t._

Em took one last look in the mirror before she left, examining her skin for any blemishes or spots and making sure her teeth had been brushed properly, before reaching into her bag and spraying a little bit of perfume.

_Okay time for breakfast!_

She skipped down the steps and rushed through the corridors on the first floor before the sight of the dining hall came into view. Everyone was there except Lucifer.  
  
Satan, Asmodeus and Mammon had classes today in Human History, so they’d be leaving the table early. But Beel, Levi and Em had free time, along with Lucifer who was more of an administrator for the Academy.

“Oi Em! What are you staring off into space for?” Mammon yelled and beckoned her over, gesturing to the empty seat beside him. Em however found her eyes snap straight to the lilac haired man on the other side of the table grinning at her, and she took the empty seat next to him.

“O-oi! I saved this seat for you!” Mammon looked downright insulted and glared over towards his otaku sibling, who reciprocated his glare.

Em blushed out of embarrassment, she hadn’t even noticed the white haired demon hinting to sit next to him. “O-oh I’m sorry Mammon I just-”

_I want to sit next to Levi this morning, sorry Mammon..._

“She wanted to sit by me! Sorry bro LOL!” Levi smirked at his brother before turning to face her. “Good morning, y-you look nice today”. He smiled fondly and felt his ears getting warm, before she could respond with a greeting she was interrupted.

“Good morning Em, oooh wait! Isn’t it your date with Solomon today~” Asmodeus interjected with a playful tone, he really enjoyed teasing Em even though he was a little jealous of her relationship with the sorcerer. “No wonder you’re so dressed up~”

Upon hearing this Levi threw his hands under the table and clenched his fists on his jeans, digging his nails in. The smile on his face twisted into a scowl at the mention of date and Solomon in the same sentence. 

“N-no it’s not a date! We’re just going to Hocus Pocus together for some alchemy books…” she pouted.

“You say that Em but look at you, you’re adorable today AND I smell perfume~” the Avatar of Lust was not backing down on the teasing this morning, Beel lifted his head up from his plate and glanced over towards Levi who looked like he was barely holding the envy in and decided to step in again on his brothers behalf.

“Hey Asmo if she says it’s not a date it’s not a date, leave her alone bro!” He looked over towards Levi who gave him a subtle nod to express his gratitude. 

“Ya damn right it’s not a date, Solomon? Pffft Em can do wayyy better than that creep!” Mammon sneered and then looked back over to Levi with a smug grin. “We all know there’s someone more suited for her.”

Levi glared over at his brother whilst his back was momentarily turned, burning his yellow eyes into the back of Mammons head.

“Must you all be so loud, every single morning.” Satan yawned as he picked up his cup of tea. “Em have a good time at Hocus Pocus today; I would have come with you but I have to stop by Majolish first thing.” 

“Oh thanks Satan, I-I will. I’ve seen the building on my way to work but I’ve heard it’s beautiful inside!”

“Good morning everyone. I see we’re all lively this morning. As usual.” Lucifer arrived in his RAD uniform. He spat out air as he walked over to the table and grabbed his daily paper. “So what’s everyone so excited about today then hmm?”

“Listen to this Luci, Em’s got a date with Solomon~”

"A date?" This was music to the oldest brothers ears, perhaps Leviathan just wasn't her type of man. "Oh well, have a wonderful time but don't forget we're all here if he does something inappropriate to you." He warned, sure he was happy his brother didn't seem to be the object of her affections but he'd still make sure Solomon was a gentleman. "Cerberus has a particular fondness for men with white hair." Mammon gulped from across the table as Lucifers crimson eyes pierced into him.

Em just sighed and gave up, sometimes Asmodeus didn’t know when to quit. She stood and huffed towards the kitchen demons who had laid out a variety of food. Levi saw his chance and excused himself, joining her near the breakfast counter.

 _“Hey, just ignore Asmo..I can kick his ass if you need me to_?” He whispered into her ear through a toothy grin, causing her heart to beat faster. In doing so he subconsciously inhaled the scent from her perfume giving him a temporary high.

“ _Ughh I don’t like violence but right now...yes please_.” Levi stepped backwards as if to go do just that “Wait no! I'm kidding!” she started giggling and pulled him back, the two locked eyes until they were interrupted by the kitchen demons. 

“Ahem, you two gonna order anything or just make kissy faces at each other all morning?” They were fed up with the couple, on a daily basis they’d see the flirting and had an ongoing wager with all the staff who would be the first to make a move.

The two snapped their heads away from each other and burned crimson at those words, not even taking the time to retort the statement. However as Em’s back was turned, Levi shot a threatening glare at the kitchen demon to warn them if they said anything more they’d regret it.

“A-anyway we should join the others, before Asmodeus starts making stuff up about us too” she laughed and grabbed a few pieces of food. Levi laughed nervously with a slight disappointment in the tone.

“Y-yeah you’re right. So..what time are you going out today?”

“Oh umm Solomons meeting me at the gates at 11. So I have some time to kill…” she couldn’t help but hint in her voice,drawing out the last few words. 

_Hint, hint Levi._

“Oh really? Well you’re welcome to come chill with me for a few hours after breakfast? We could watch the latest episode of Castle of God?” his eyes light up at the prospect of watching animé let alone with the girl he loved, it was like a dream come true.

“Oh! I actually have a better idea, you reminded me last night when we spoke about how we first met aaaaaand, there’s this show based around an otome game...it’s the dreaded “isekai” genre but I promise the reviews are really good for it!” she gave him the puppy dog eye look, pouting innocently at him.

“Otome..? Ugh. If you say it’s good I’ll believe you…” He faked a grimace but was brought back to reality when they returned to the table. Asmodeus had his trademark smirk on, unbeknownst to the two of them he’d watched their flirting session near the kitchen demons and wanted to push his brother a little more today.

“Oh Em, let me know how your _date_ goes today, and if you need any protection you know where I am~”. He glanced over to Levi and saw the curl on his lip turning into a snarl. His brother was too easy and too quick to act upon his emotions.

“Asmodeus plea-”

“ **Asmodeus. The breakfast table is not the place for that sort of talk now, is it? Besides you should be getting to class before you’re late.”** Lucifers eyes pierced through his brothers playful aura and shattered it.

“Y-yeah sorry Luci..” 

“Oh and Em? Make sure you pick up some more appropriate clothes for the retreat. Summer Solstice in the Devildom is this Saturday and I believe our retreat is soon after.

“Summer Solstice?” Em tilted her head curiously.

Satan smirked, it was his time to shine. “Summer Solstice in the Devildom occurs when our Moon, which is ten times the size of your moon; expands and the temperature here can get to around 104 degrees.” Ems face recoiled in horror and her pupils went white.

Satan chuckled.”Ah! I meant Farenheit. I forgot you were English for a second there.”

“Oh jeez you had me worried for a second there, Satan.” Em held her hand to her chest, 104 celsius would have meant the death of her, literally.

Levi giggled, thinking her reaction was adorable, ignoring the narrowing eyes and accusatory stares of his brothers for a few moments.

* * *

After their breakfast Em and Levi headed back to his room as they discussed what had happened in last week's episode of Castle of God. As he opened the door and they stepped through she felt peace wash over her, she’d always liked his room ever since the first time she set foot in there but now it was starting to feel like a second home.

He grabbed the tv remote and took a seat on his sofa, gesturing for her to sit and join him. “Well..you’ve only got two hours so we can watch today's episode and then what was the thing you wanted to see called?”

“The title is so long! but promise you won’t judge….” She started playing with her hair.

Levi giggled, waiting expectantly for her to continue. She grabbed her DDD and Ooogled the name, clearing her throat. “It’s called _My Next Life as a Princess: All Routes Lead to Doom!”_

“That’s not so lo-” Levi scoffed.

“In Japanese it’s Otome Gēmu no Hametsu Furagu Shika Nai Ojo R-Reijō ni Tenseo wait no Tensei.. Shite... Shimatta” she stammered out the words and sounded pained as the sentence went on. “Okay...I totally butchered that didn’t I?”

Levi laughed at how out of breath she sounded. “Yeah...that was pretty terrible LOL” she looked up from her phone and pouted at him.

“W-well anyway, that’s what it’s called!” The two of them laughed and teased each other as the animé started playing.

“Oh! Levi..what..do you think about me getting my hair cut shorter? It’s been awhile and well, with the Devildom getting warmer I thought it might be a good time.” she twisted the ends of her hair as she looked up at him to meet his face.

“O-oh? I’m looking forward to seeing it now, I mean” he laughed “I don’t know why you’re asking me Em, it’s your hair. Did something happen though? I mean, animé characters usually only get a haircut after some life altering event."

Em couldn’t help but burst into laughter “No! I just fancied a change haha, now I’m curious; did you have some sort of big event when you cut yours?” she gestured towards his own bangs.

“N-n-no of course not! I-I just fancied the change too.” Levi scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

Some time passed and they’d watched four episodes, and Em glanced down at her DDD regretfully. It was only an hour before she had to leave to go meet Solomon. 

_Ugh I want to stay here….I know that's selfish of me but I’m having so much fun.._

“You okay, Em?” Levi noticed her staring down at her DDD with a disappointed look on her face.

“Yeah...I just.. Ugh I’m enjoying the animé too much” she blushed.

_I’m enjoying being with you too much...if only you could come with us today._

_That’s a point, I don’t think I’ve ever seen Levi outside except when he’s working out or that time he came to find me..._

Levi started laughing.”Well you could always text Solomon and say you’re ill and we could just watch this all day..” he hoped she wouldn’t sense the bitterness in his tone as he was half serious half joking.

“Oh! You just reminded me….Levi what happened with you and Solomon at the party? I’ve asked him but it felt like he was avoiding the question.” she glanced up at Levi who was sitting inches apart from her, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. 

Levi started to turn very red and flustered. “Ahh that….well, the day you and me had that umm..when I was being a baka Solomon texted me.” he took a deep breath. “He told me he was wrong about me and that I wasn’t a decent guy and that you-” 

“Me?”

“That you...deserved better, a better f-friend I mean.” He stared at the ground in embarrassment and guilt for that awful time in their lives.

“Wait seriously? I’m so sorry he said that Levi. You know that’s not true right?” she scrunched up her nose in disappointment.”Well don’t listen to him, of course you deserve me, if anything I’m the one who doesn’t deserve you..”

Levis cheeks burned, he knew she meant as a friend but it didn’t matter, his heart was doing somersaults; clinging on to every word she said these days. “Don’t say that about yourself Em, I told you the other night how I felt, I-I mean about how I felt about our friendship.”he stammered out.

“But still...ugh now I don’t want to go. But I have to..it’s too late to cancel on him.” she groaned. 

“Hey you’ll be fine, you’re welcome to come back here after..” Levi bit his lip, he hadn’t meant to make her angry at Solomon but he couldn’t help feeling a little relieved she was standing up for him.

“Yeah I think I will, i-if you don’t mind.” 

“Of course not, I’m bored most of the time without you anyway…” He looked down as he mumbled, he hadn’t meant to say it out loud and didn’t realize but Em had smiled.

Before they knew it the hour quickly passed, and it was time for Em to meet Solomon.

* * *

“Good afternoon, you look cute today!” Solomon was leaning on the big iron bar gate of the House. He was rather dressed up to be going to a magic shop and was wearing a black jacket, white business shirt and dark grey pants. "I'm loving the look, it suits you well, almost witchy? Although just between us, you're prettier than any witch I've ever met."

_C-cute...pretty? Oh no, Solomon you don’t think this is a date too do you?_

Em felt uncomfortable right from the get go and tried to hide her disgust as she recoiled, now was the need for a subject change. “Uhh hey, sorry if you were waiting long, me and Levi-”

“Oh not at all, I actually just got here myself! So I don't know if you can see it from here but it's a big blue roof, you can't miss it!" He cut her off mid sentence and gestured towards the town below before slowly extending his hand down to meet hers , upon the contact Em flinched and moved away.

"Ah sorry about that! I was walking too closely!" She said as she stepped back a few paces and let him lead, the rejected sorcerer huffed discreetly but smiled at her.

"No problem...let's go, shall we?"

They walked into the third layer of the Devildom together and soon spotted a tall three story tower with a blue and gold roof adorned with spires on several connecting roofs.

_Oooh it’s so pretty!_

As they stepped inside Em was blown away, there was a small reception desk in the middle of the room and then a large spiral staircase winding around the building separating it into three different floors, enchanted books and magical items were floating and dancing around in the air.

“Right! I believe you wanted Alchemy books right, Em? You’ll want to go to the second floor and they should be the purple books first thing on your left.” He pointed to the whereabouts of her books and flashed a smile as he leaned in closer to her, finding his eyes straying to the side of her face.

Too entranced by the sorcery surrounding her rather than the man who was giving off some flirtatious energy, she strode up to the staircase oblivious to his motions. “O-oh right, aren’t you coming?” Em said as she was halfway up the stairs and noticed the lack of the white sorcerer.

“Ah..I’ll just be a moment, I have to ask the reception demon about some things!” Solomon shifted his gaze away from her, looking perplexed all of a sudden, but the dense human girl didn’t think anything of it and said she’d wait for him.

After climbing the stairs two layers she came to a large alcove in the building that was marked A-K. And as Solomon had promised there were several shelves filled with dark purple spines. Em grabbed the nearest one and read the cover “ _Alchemy for Dummies_ ” 

_Yeah that sounds about right..._

There were a few more books that sounded her sort of speed. “ _The Philosophers Tome_ ” and “ _Flasking the Right Questions_ ” 

_Ugh these puns, I have to show Levi when I get home he’ll find them hilarious!_

She settled on those three books even if Solomon didn’t recommend them, the titles had made her laugh and she got a good vibe out of them. After what felt like the longest time she finally heard footsteps approaching behind her, Em had just been reading some cooking books and decided to pick up “ _Shapesifters_ ” for Satan as a present for helping her get the job and all of the books he allowed her access to.

“Sorry about that! Damned reception demon took forever answering my questions.. Unfortunately the books I’m after aren’t in stock right now so they’re going to order some. Ah! You found them by yourself in the end...well I guess you didn’t need my help after all.” He smiled sheepishly and leaned against one of the bookshelves, again getting close in proximity to her.

“Oh don’t worry, I was just laughing at some of these names...seriously who would’ve known demons pun games were so strong” she chuckled as she showed him the books she’d picked up. 

“Hahah yeah when we get back to the human realm it’s a shame we won’t be able to tell anyone about our time here.”

A pang hit her in the chest and she suddenly stopped laughing. 

_When we return...ah...I keep forgetting I have to go back._

“Em? Everything okay?” He put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, sensing her tense up.

“S-sorry yeah just memories.” She snapped her head up. "Actually Solomon I don’t think I’ve ever asked...what country are you from?”

Solomon stiffened, removing his hand from her as he slumped more against the shelf, and his smile became hard and thin. “Ah hahah have I not told you before? I’m from Bulgaria, well a little town just off the coast.” his fists clenched up and he found himself getting lost in his thoughts until Em spoke up.

“Oh wow! I never would’ve guessed…” Em was shocked beyond recognition and found herself wanting to know more about his life in the human realm. “What was it like there?”

“Well it was a rustic little town back in the day, the Monastery overlooked the entire town on the cliff...you would have loved it..” He trailed off and sensed he’d spoken too much “You know what Em, I don’t want to bore you with my silly little life…. Let's talk about something else! Ah! Since you got an answer from me may I ask a question?” Solomon steered the conversation away from his life and started poking into Ems business; she never really told him much about herself either, he didn’t even know about Nate as he never came up in conversation. 

_Monastery? Sounds like quite an old fashioned town..I wonder if Solomon is religious._

“Ah uhhh sure..” Em bit her lip, now she felt bad for poking her nose in his business when she knew all too well she had a past she didn’t like to talk about.

Solomon studied her expression for a second and then smiled. “Tell me about your childhood, a fun girl like you must have had so many friends.”

“Well uhh..umm” she took a deep breath and proceeded to lie like she had done so many times to strangers. “Yeah I did, I had many friends in school and mostly got on with the boys; girls were always too gossipy for my taste, I don’t remember much of when I was in England when I was little, but when I returned from America I'd..." the memories of Nate were hitting her again and she knew she had to stop talking, luckily Solomon sensed the wavering in her voice and dropped the subject all together.

“Ah look at us talking like a pair of old women! Shall we go check out?” He started to walk back down the stairs breaking her out of her trance like state. Em started to feel very guilty that she still hadn’t shared her past with Solomon, but something inside her felt like it wasn’t necessary if he wasn’t going to share his own past either.

After they checked out her books Solomon kept glancing at his DDD like he had to be somewhere. 

“Sorry, just Barbatos asking me a few things; so is there anywhere else you’d like to go today?”

“Umm... oh! That’s right!” she exclaimed making the normally cool and collected sorcerer jump out of his skin. “You were going to tell me the details of the camping trip! So I was actually going to suggest we go to Majolish to pick a few things up..”

“Ah the damned trip, yeah Simeon sends his deepest apologies. Did you know he’s terrible with technology? Apparently they found the venue months back but he actually forgot to confirm the booking over the computer haha!” Solomon started laughing and joking about how Angels were supposed to be all knowing creatures but Simeon had the worst time using the DDD and was constantly butt dialling Luke and him. “The trip is next Sunday and I think it’s supposed to be for three days and two nights, not really much notice though...good thing Abbadon already gave us the all clear.”

The two followed the winding road back up to the first layer of the Devildom and stopped just outside of a large pink wizard hat shaped building. It was Majolish, the go-to store for accessories, clothes and also sold a few random items like food, games and dvds. Although Akuzon’s local depot had a much wider selection.

After picking up a few items Em noticed a display unit of plush keyrings, they had all sorts of animals from cats to giraffes to the more mythical fauna. She smiled remembering when she first opened the Burnewt from Levi and walked over to them. From the corner of her eye she spotted a goldfish plush and thought of him and his pet goldfish Henry 2.0.

Em picked up the goldfish keyring and fondled it. 

_He’s done so much for me it would be rude to not buy him something in return._

And it was settled, she took the plush along with all of the clothes she had bought for the upcoming trip and met Solomon down at the checkout counter where he had been on the phone to Barbatos about something to do with his “human realm transfer” apparently they had lost a few of his items during the transfer to the Devildom and Barbatos for some bizarre reason had offered to help him.

"Oh that's cute Em, is that to replace your Burnewt keyring?" Solomon gritted his teeth at the mention something Levi had bought for her, trying to hide his contempt.

Em was downright insulted at the notion of parting with it "No of course not, I love my Burnewt! This is..actually a gift for Levi" she shrank into her tshirt and Solomons eyes narrowed, and he frowned. 

"Em you shouldn't waste your grimm on someone like that, I think you were way too quick to forgive him you know! I'd never hurt you like that and when I first met him I thought he was different. But I guess...demons are all the same in the end" his DDD suddenly buzzed saving him from a barrage of questions.

“Sorry Em, I’ve got to go...Barbatos needs me to sign for something important, ah but I hope you enjoyed today; I know I did!” he winked playfully and a light blush crept up on his face. “Ahem, well I’ll see you in work tomorrow; take care!”

_That was a little rushed...what did he mean demons are all the same in the end?_

“O-oh okay! See you tomorrow!” she waved him off as he hastily headed towards the exit. Her own DDD suddenly pinged; her heart raced at the idea it was Leviathan but then she remembered he still didn’t have his phone back.

Beelzebub: Hey Em :)

Beelzebub: I’m in Hell's Kitchen if you wanna join me for a snack?

Em: Oh Hey Beel ^^

Em: I’ve just finished shopping and wanted to grab a bite so that actually sounds lovely!

Em: I’ll be there soon!

Em smiled down at her DDD, she really got on with Beel and now that the awkwardness of everything that had happened with him was a thing of the past and Levi had made up with him she felt like she could really be good friends with the red haired glutton.

She headed towards the large cerise roof with a giant steak statue on top as she smiled thinking of how she’d present Levi with his little keyring.

* * *

“Hey Em, I saved you a seat!” The red headed demon waved to her as she stepped through the door, Hell's Kitchen was an underground tavern type of restaurant that was like Beels second home. It looked almost medieval with its wooden beams supporting the roof above and the cobblestone floor.

“Oh hey Beel! How long have you been here?” Em eyed up the large stack of plates on the table, there must have been at least twenty.

“Ahh, I think since noon? What time is it now...wow it’s already 3pm? Damn. I’ll head back with you after you’ve had something if you don’t mind!” He laughed in his deep bellowy voice.

“I don’t mind at all, I’m starving though so I’ll be right back!”

“Oh could you order me a few more desserts? I think I could fit in another two or three; I’ll pay for yours too; I do have the discount!” Beel chimed in an almost smug manner. He frequented the place so often and was a highly valued customer so the kitchen demons and the chef had made his own unique discount card for 60% off for..well, eternity. It wasn’t much of a loss for them as Beel spent so much grimm they could easily make back the profits they had lost with the amount of food he ordered on a daily basis.

Ems eyes widened in shock and she recoiled. “Oh no you don’t have to! I’ll pay for my own food, really. But thank you!” She was always rejecting the brothers hospitality out of guilt; she didn’t want to be a burden and this was one of the reasons she’d wanted a job in the first place.

“Suit yourself Em” Beel pouted. “So how was your ‘date’ with Solomon?” he winked.

“Beel...not you too!” Em sighed as she returned from ordering her food. “Why does everyone think there’s something between me and Solomon!” 

“Well I mean, you’re both human for one…” Beel was doing his best to get some information out of her for his purple haired brothers sake. “Plus you guys seem close.”

“Is both of us being human really that important?” she thought about and played with her hair. “I just don’t see him as more than a friend really, sure we’re close. Solomon is handsome and a nice guy, but I don’t feel a thing. I..I’ve not felt anything in a long time for anyone; and to be honest? I wouldn’t even know how to cope with those sort of feelings for someone.” Images of a certain otaku demon flashed in her mind and her cheeks flushed, snapping her back into the present as she furrowed her brow in confusion.

“Oh really? I mean.. From our point of view being the same species is a plus” he laughed nervously. “I’m curious. Would you ever consider dating a demon?” his pupils shrank after seeing her physically recoil. “Ah! I’m not asking for me haha!” 

“O-oh well, I mean I...would. Demons aren’t really that much different than humans; I’d just be a little worried about their powers if we got into an argument about something…”she averted her gaze; thinking back to the time Lucifer almost killed her and how scared she had been seeing his true form. “Are... you talking about anyone in particular?”

“Well we’re not that much different from you guys you’re right, I guess except for the age gap...and the immortality...that kind of puts a damper on things though.” he spoke as he chewed the remainder of his food. “Uhhh an example? Right, completely hypothetically speaking here...what about Levi?”

“L-l-levi?!” Em started flailing about and got very flustered at the thought of dating her friend. “W-well hypothetically speaking right? I think...he’s a wonderful man, he’s so smart, kind, funny and…” she trailed off.

_And his laugh is so contagious, and sometimes when he smiles one of his fangs pokes through his lip, yeah Levi is very handsome and he has so many good qualities. He's always there for me._

_But could I actually see myself dating him? Would it work out with the age gap Beel just mentioned? He is thousands of years old.. And what would happen when it was time for me to leave? What would we do? How would we work as a couple? I mean I guess we’d play games and watch animé like we usually do, only we could also do couple stuff like hold hands, cuddle, k-_

Beel smirked and couldn’t help notice that Em had spaced out, just like his brother always did. “Uhhh Em? You home?” he waved his hand in front of her to get her attention.

Em snapped her head up, knocking her out of her internal monologue. “Ah, what sorry?”

“I asked if hypothetically you could see yourself dating Levi? And then you sort of got lost..” He folded his arms, excited to hear her reply.

“O-oh hahah!” she bit her lip, cursing herself for spacing out like that. “Well..yeah I think HYPOTHETICALLY speaking yes, we’d be great together. Besides the immortality thing haha. But.. why did you use Levi as an example?” 

“Uhhh I dunno, you two are so close and he was just the first demon I thought of” Beel shrugged innocently. “Unless of course you could see yourself with Mammon? Or Asmodeus?...Lucifer?”

Em grimaced at the thought of dating either of them “Dating Mammon would be like dating an older brother and Asmodeus...well it would be more of an encounter than a relationship with feelings. Lucifer..I’m sorry... I know he’s your brother but he scares the shit out of me… especially after..”

_After the underground tomb._

Beel laughed at her reaction and the curse. “Exactly my point.” but then he turned serious. “You still think about that night don’t you?”

“Yeah..I..I do most nights if I’m honest, he’s apologized so many times for it but I can’t help being intimidated by him” she chewed her lip, feeling guilty and then realization hit her .”Wait Beel, you can’t tell anyone any of this okay? It stays between us.” 

She looked at the glutton with worry written all over her face, she did not want this conversation getting out to anyone, Levi would surely laugh at her and be grossed out for even considering it; Mammon would never shut up about how betrayed or heartbroken he felt, she was pretty sure it wouldn’t affect Asmodeus positively; it might’ve spurred him on even more. And Lucifer might feed her to Cerberus for rejecting the idea of him out right.

Beel winced for his brother, he would have been overjoyed to hear Em thought he was a suitable partner even hypothetically speaking, and all of the nice things she’d said about him, except the immortality comment but she couldn’t help that, none of them could.

But he was an honest man and he wouldn’t betray her trust, not even for Levi. “I promise, I won’t tell a soul, but Em, you don’t need to feel sorry about being scared of Lucifer; hell we all are…”

He suddenly snapped up with a big cheesy grin. “Anyway, let’s race to see who can eat these puddings faster!”

* * *

After eating their fill in Hell's Kitchen the two returned home, and having lost horribly to Beel. Em waved him off and ran straight back to her room to put all of her new things away and then pocketed the goldfish keyring, making her way down to Levi’s room.

“Levi, it’s me!” she knocked on the dark blue door twice.

The door swung open almost instantly and she was greeted yet again by her best friend. “Oh hey! Come in, I was just working a little on my game but...ugh I really wanna continue watching that isekai thing.” he groaned in impatience. "But I didn't want to start without you."

She stepped forward into his room and took a seat back on the navy sofa she’d only been apart from for 4 hours, instantly feeling that wave of calm as she had that morning. “Haha I told you it was good!

“Yeah you did warn me...I should’ve known I’d enjoy it if you recommended it.” he coughed as he felt a pink tinge on his cheeks. “A-anyway did you enjoy your _date_ with Solomon?” he asked playfully but deep down he was dreading her response.

“It wasn’t a date! Ugh first Asmodeus, then Beel and now you!” her eyes widened slightly as she remembered the conversation in Hell's Kitchen and looked up to see Levi’s concerned face at the mention of his gluttonous brother. “I..I don’t like Solomon in that way. Jeez, I feel like I should get a tattoo of it on my forehead..” she giggled sheepishly as she saw Levi’s expression melt back into an almost relieved smile.

The two finished exchanging pleasantries and then Em reached into her pocket. “I..I actually got you a little something from Majolish today.” she gingerly passed the small gift over to him and smiled as he started opening it. “I-I just saw it and thought you’d like it, especially with our conversation last night about him and if you don’t like it just say-”

He beamed as he inspected the orange fish plush.“Em. I love it, really. Thank you!” and he reached for his DDD to insert the keychain. “Oh he’s so cute, not as cute as the real thing but hey you can’t match perfection.”

Em laughed “I’m glad you like it..oh! I finally got the camping trip date confirmation. Apparently Simeon is terrible with technology and didn’t book it correctly..but it’s next Sunday! I just bought some things but, wait. Hang on, Levi do you have any summery clothes?” she looked at him with curiosity. He had told her before she got there he never really went outside unless it was an emergency, so maybe he didn’t own anything suitable.  
  
“I have a few things but- Wait Em, what do you think about when you hear “camping trip” Levi smirked, he had a feeling Em took the words a little too literally.

“Oh well we’ll all be in tents right? Under the stars?” Em gazed up at the ceiling, she had always wanted to go camping but never had the opportunity due to Nate being a shut in.

Levi burst into laughter. “Em..do you really think ‘all knowing beings’ such as angels...and Lucifer would ever be happy about squeezing into a tent in the mud?” 

“O-oh...you’re right. Well now I feel stupid..” she averted her gaze, feeling a little embarrassed at her naivety.

_Of course Lucifer wouldn’t want to get in a small cramped tent. Ugh the brothers must think I’m an idiot._

_Speaking of brothers; I really need to visit Belphie before we leave next weekend. Lucifer has been even trickier to get past lately._

“H-hey! I didn’t mean to make you feel bad, but you can be really cute, you know that?” he stopped in his tracks, he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.

 _D-did Levi just call me cute? Why does it feel different from when Solomon said it..  
  
When he was next to me, he gave off a completely different presence.  
  
_Her heart sped up at those words, causing her to snap her head up and the two made eye contact, both equally flustered as they turned away after a few seconds.

“A-anyway, l-lets watch the rest of this show!” Levi grabbed the remote from his white marble table and pressed play.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another long-ass chapter!  
> We're really starting to rev into feelies territory now, and I enjoyed writing more fluffy light hearted moments between Em and Levi again. I do think they would grow a lot closer after all the stress was over.
> 
> Camping arc/group retreat thing starts next chapter, I'll throw a sprinkle of Belphie in so he doesn't hate me (its just been hard to squeeze him in with all the other plot points I've been setting up).


	33. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Little content warning: Angst  
> and then fluff.  
> Em gets a makeover, Asmodeus and Em have a heart to heart. Levi is baka for friendzoning me in the game. The bois set off on the "camping" trip.
> 
> Mini chapter coming right after this (a few hours) because I couldn't fit Belphie in.

“You all ready to go, Em?” Asmodeus’ eyes sparkled in eagerness as they approached a large green snake shaped building.

Em had asked him to escort her to Medusa’s for a spa day and a haircut, he was ecstatic to finally get her on her own as he had some things he wanted to talk to her about, involving a certain purple haired brother of his. Little did she know Asmodeus had called ahead of time.

“Y-yeah I think so! I’m a bit anxious about having my hair cut by a gorgon though…” Em trailed behind him awkwardly as she felt a little out of place surrounded by all the demoness’ eyeing her.

Asmodeus sensed her anxiety and put his hand on his chest reassuringly.“Don’t worry Medusa is an old friend! And well..we’ve had fun times together~” he smirked playfully. “I have to ask though, are you trying to impress anyone in particular?” a toothy grin erupted “Ah! Is it Sol-”

“Asmodeus, if you say the rest of that sentence I will turn around and go back home” she laughed in slight irritation. “I-I’m not trying to impress anyone, my hair just really needs cutting; plus I’m dying from the heat here” she waved her hand dramatically and fixed her ponytail.

“Okay okay, I’ll stop teasing you about Solomon...but are you _sure_ you don’t have your eye on anyone? You’ve been a lot more outgoing recently, and I’ve noticed you’re wearing perfume more often, your skin looks like you’ve been keeping up with that routine I gave you...and...Em are you wearing lip tint?” The flirty demon's eyes narrowed as he leaned in closer upon his inspection, he found that yes; she was indeed wearing a darker lip tint than her natural shade.

Ems cheeks reddened. “I-I don’t know what you’re talking about, I just wanted to look nice. There’s honestly no one...besides enough about me; let’s get in there before I really do turn around” she laughed once more, desperate to change the topic.

“Fiiiiiiine, but I’m not giving up; especially when we’re done with you today~”

“W-what do you mean..Asmo what are you upto..” her eyes narrowed in suspicion.

Asmodeus winked as they opened the snake door handle. “Meduuuuuusa it’s usssss~” he sang throughout the building and all of the demon staff snapped their attention towards him and Em, who was huddled behind him feeling very threatened with so many eyes on her. To her relief most of the staff were accepting of humans and nodded as a greeting before getting back to their tasks, one of the demons started slithering over to them. She was a tall gorgon with beautiful long hair twisting around as if they were moving, upon closer inspection Em gasped. 

_They are moving; they’re snakes!_

The figure smiled at the human girl's reaction and snapped her head up towards them; she was wearing tinted yellow sunglasses to hide her eyes. “Oooh Asmo it’s been too long darling, we must..make plans some time.” her head turned to face Em and her snakes hissed in delight. “Is this the human you spoke about over the phone? She’s pretty cute..well come on you two, you’ve got the VIP treatment today!” she gestured towards a large azure curtain behind her.

“V-v.i.p treatment? Asmodeus no..you didn’t..” she frowned at the brown haired demon. Em had expected just a quick dry cut and maybe a facial if they had the grimm.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about~“Don’t worry about it Em, you’re in good hands here. I’ve made a few arrangements though~” he clapped his hands together giving her an innocent grin. 

Unbeknown to her Asmodeus had rang up beforehand and arranged a full makeover along with the best hair treatment grimm could offer. He had a feeling his brother had a thing for her and Em’s birthday was fast approaching so Asmodeus called it an act of kindness...plus he wanted to speed things up between the couple, and if making Levi flustered worked then that’s what he’d do.

After what felt like hours Medusa passed Em the mirror, her breath caught in her throat. Asmodeus had kept his word and she’d had her eyebrows threaded, a facial, manicure and pedicure, her eyebrows tinted just a shade darker and filled out more and of course her hair.

It had been cut shoulder length as requested and her bangs were now choppier looking, the length had been thinned out a little so it had a very punk rocker vibe that Asmo knew she’d suit. A lot different from the usual untamed and wild look she had previously.

Em just stared in shock, she looked so different but a good different; she never really had much pride in her appearance before but Asmodeus had gone above and beyond and she was very touched, so touched she felt tears forming in her eyes.

_I look….good! Oh my god I look amazing. Is this me?_

“Awwh Em, did I get it wrong? Do you not like it?” Asmodeus winced, a little regretful of the amount of change he’d forced upon her without her knowing.

Em was trying her best not to burst into tears in such a public setting. “N-no I love it so much, thank you...I-I’m just..in shock! I’ve never really felt very good about myself but...oh my go-Mephisto thank you so so much Asmo” she leaned over and gave him a quick embrace before Medusa got back to his own facial treatment.

“Oh thank Mephisto you scared me for a second and I thought I’d lost my touch! But you’re welcome Em, I know it’s a few weeks early but... Happy Birthday!~” he suddenly smirked towards Medusa. “Thank you for everything Medusa, I will definitely have to pop over after closing hours sometime~”

“Haha you’d better, well I’ll let you both get back home now I’ve kept you all day; it was a pleasure, Em. I hope you never forget how fabulous demons can look when you return to your own realm” Medusa smiled and slithered off towards the back.

Ems smile turned into a frown as she realized yet again, she wouldn’t be here forever. Em had already been in the Devildom for nearly four months now, just over a quarter of her time there.

_Yet so much has changed._

Asmodeus sensed the sudden look of sadness on her “Well you’ve got aaaages left here yet so there’s no need to think about going back now, or ever...you never know you might decide to stay~”.

They both thanked the staff and left the salon, ambling their way back through the many layers of the Devildom towards their home. Em had been oddly quiet since they left.

“Could I…” she mumbled as she faced the pavement. “Could I actually stay here if I chose to?” 

“Well..I actually don’t know Em, would you want to? But..what about your family?” Asmodeus sensed Em hadn’t told them all the full story of her life in the human realm, he didn’t want to push her into telling him but he did want to know if everything was alright in her world.

Em froze and mulled it over in her mind. Asmodeus had done so much for her, all the brothers had..would they judge her if she told them the entire truth? 

_I’ve spent a lot of time with Asmodeus and...I think maybe I need someone to talk to, vent my frustrations with. I don’t think he’d blab about this sort of thing._

She grasped her hand and went to play with the usual dangling curl but of course, there wasn’t one anymore. “Asmodeus...can we talk somewhere private when we get back to the House? There’s something I have to tell you..”

“Huh? Oh of course Em, like I always say. My door is always open, and I don’t just mean for the fun stuff~” he linked arms with her as they made their way through the gates and up to the third floor; stopping just outside of his room.

Em began to feel a little uncomfortable and scanned the corridors for any of the other brothers whilst Asmo fumbled around trying to find his key. He finally found it in his back pocket and turned to look at her, catching sight of her panicked and anxious expression.

“Em..I’m not going to do anything, unless you want me to~” he winked suggestively and then turned very serious. “Anyway, come in...take a seat and we’ll talk.” he gestured towards the purple chair his purple haired brother had sat on all those weeks ago.

Asmodeus was hoping deep down this talk would match the sort of mood Levi had but from the way Em had frozen up earlier he had a feeling it would be all but happy.

Em parked herself on the chair and looked at the scenery around them. “Your room is beautiful Asmo..it’s like a flower garden!” She was awed by the amount of foliage and great taste in decor he had, but she wasn’t exactly surprised seeing how well Asmo had directed Medusa with her new look.

_If I don’t look at the bed and imagine everything that goes on in this room, it’s quite nice._

“Thank you Em, it’s like my little garden of secrets in here~” he smirked.” Do you want anything to eat..or I could make some tea?”

She nodded politely “Tea would be great, thank you.” As a natural born Brit, tea solved all of her problems and Em was always borrowing from Satan's stash.

Asmodeus grabbed two cups and boiled the kettle, pouring as he spoke.

“So...what was it you wanted to talk about...I have a feeling it’s something to do with..the human realm?” He put the kettle down, sat in the opposite chair and placed his hand over hers. “I won’t breathe a word of it to anyone, not even Levi if that’s what you want.”

“Thank you Asmo...you know considering you say the most shameless things sometimes you’re a lovely guy” she patted his hand and smiled warmly at him. 

Asmo wasn’t one to get compliments like that anymore and felt quite flustered “Oh hahahaha Em, stop it...my word, I might fall for you if you’re not careful~” she squeezed his hand and sighed, summoning all of her courage.

”I’m so sorry Asmo, I’ve been lying to you all...again. The truth is I was...forced back to England after I..I…” tears started to form in her eyes. 

Asmodeus said nothing and placed his other hand on her shoulder. “I-I made an attempt on my life. It was just after Nate's funeral and I was in a very bad place, my father found me before I could go through with it..and he was so SO furious with me. He called me pathetic and said that I was a stupid selfish girl and the next day..he packed all my things and demanded that I get on that plane.”

Asmodeus stared at her in horror, his hand clasped over his mouth as she recounted the events of her human life. He knew she hadn’t had the greatest life experiences but..he wasn’t expecting this.

Taking his silence as permission to continue she slumped in her chair. “After I landed my mother took me back in and demanded to know why my father had returned me without warning. She tried getting in touch with him but all he left was a note to say he couldn’t handle such a messed up child anymore, and that was the last we ever heard from him. My mother was beside herself with heartbreak, they’d always had a very civil relationship with each other even after their divorce but.. after he abandoned us and she found out I’d...tried... she took a turn for the worst. So I stayed in my room and she’d send one of the neighbours to check up on me every day to make sure I hadn’t..attempted again. I withdrew from everything but animé and games, just as Nate had done...and my depression grew worse. I had no friends, no one to talk to. I...I hurt myself on many occasions and there were several more... attempts.” she struggled on the last few words and clenched her fists, forcing herself to carry on till the end.

“A year before I came here I wanted to get help, I tried reaching out to people and I found a therapist, they tried to help me come to terms with Nate's death and told me it was okay to feel pain and anger and sadness but..he kept haunting me in my dreams just as he’d promised and I made one last attempt on my life a few days before I ended up here….so that’s why I don’t really want to go back to the human realm; I’m sure my mother doesn’t even care I’m gone and well..I distanced myself from the rest of the family too, I have nothing left for me in that world.”

_I finally told someone….it was hard but..just like my talk with Levi last week, I feel like my chest is a lot lighter._

She dared to look up at him and Asmodeus was just sat in shock, his salmon eyes brimming with tears and both of his hands covering his mouth to subdue his sobs. “I’m...sorry to put a damper on our time together today” she cursed herself for bringing the mood down..again like she had with Levi on the night of the party.

He snapped out of his trance and shook his head. “Em, don’t you dare apologize! Oh Mephisto, I cannot believe how cruel your parents were! Well if Diavolo wants to send you back to that disgusting world, he’ll have to pry you away from my cold immortal hands.” he sighed and relaxed himself as demonic power started radiating from his body. 

“You..keep too much to yourself hun.. You know I’m always here for you right? If you ever need to talk, about anything! Any time of day…”his eyes widened as an idea came to light. “Infact, so you KNOW I’m serious about this come here.”

He stood up and sat on the arm of the chair and embraced her, squeezing her as tightly as he could without damaging her. “Make a pact with me Em, if you have bad dreams or you just wake up feeling like crap in the middle of the night and have no-one you can talk too, then I’m here! I don’t want Levi to have you all to himself..~”

She nuzzled herself into his chest, nodding as he stroked her newly cut hair. He smiled down somberly at her as the pact between two souls was sealed. “I just wish I could’ve been your first~”

Em laughed through her tears. “You’re impossible Asmo, you always bring the mood right back up..I wish I could be that full of joy.”

_For demons all of the brothers are so warm and kind...even Belphie, when he wants to be._

_I’m ashamed of myself for keeping everything from them now._

“But Em you can be...you just need to let it in. You need to stop beating yourself up and blaming yourself, the people in your life treated you like shit. And you need to come to terms with the fact some people are worse than us demons.” he bit his lip.” I know it’s not my place, but you need to move on from that guy...love..is meant to fill you with light, but when you told us about him all I got from him was anger, rage and well I think he was a total dick. I wasn’t joking when I told you I’d make him feel unimaginable pain if he were still alive.” his voice changed from soft and light to unforgiving and menacing upon the mention of Nate.

He pulled her away and leaned into her face, wiping away her tears. “You’re a lot like my idiot shut in brother you know, you both blame yourself...but don’t think you don’t deserve happiness, you’re as cute as a button; I mean look at you! And any human, angel or... _demon_ would be grateful to have you. I know I would be~”. He gave her one last squeeze and pulled away, allowing her room to breathe.

“The thing is Asmo...recently I’ve been..wanting to move on..to heal I-I just don’t know how..everytime I think about it I..it’s like Nate is dragging me back down with him. I’m too scared to forget him, but I don’t want to be trapped for the rest of my life.” she hung her head with a guilty expression, clutching her chest.

_I want to love again..._

Asmodeus rested his hand on his chin “You don’t have to forget about him though Em, you just have to come to terms with the fact you’re allowed to be happy in your life, it might sound callous... but Nate is gone. You are free from the pain of his torment. And if he REALLY loved you, he’d want to see you happy and I mean in life or love.”

_He’s right...I’ve felt guilty for living for far too long.._

“You’re...you’re right Asmo….thank you so much for the wonderful advice I-I’m a little shocked.” she giggled whilst wiping her tears away. “How did the Avatar of Lust get so good at life advice?”

He smiled at her and pretended to shift his eyes from side to side, beckoning her to come closer. “Because you trusted me with your secret..here’s mine. As an Angel I was loved by many, in ancient times humans would worship the ground I walked on...well when I walked on the ground haha!” he cleared his throat. “I would answer peoples prayers and give advice to all sorts of humans asking for it.. And then we fell.” Asmodeus' eyes became dewy all of a sudden as he got lost in his own words, and then he winked at the human girl. “Don’t tell the others I told you, it’s forbidden to talk about our past lives~”

Upon hearing his own sad tale things clicked in Ems mind. 

_That’s why he’s so desperate to be loved in..those ways. He’s trying to replace that love with..lust. Oh poor Asmodeus_

“Anyway Em, you’ve cried all over my shoulder and you’ve probably washed away the face cream Medusa applied...so go on, get out of here and I’ll see you later~ remember what I said though okay? You’re allowed to move on if that's what you want, and I’ll try to do some digging around and see if we can at least extend your stay another year...or ten~”

“Thank you Asmo, so much. For everything, the hair, the salon, the advice...all of it. You’re amazing!” Em gave him one last hug and then headed for the door, feeling relief wash over her and a sense of tranquillity.

“Go and see Levi, Hell knows you need a pick-me-up now, and remember...any human, angel or _demon_ ” he winked and bid her goodbye.

_He’s right...I’ll go see Levi right away, I wonder what he’s going to say about my new look._

Em picked herself up and composed herself as she strode down the staircase soaking in everything Asmodeus had said to her. 

She skipped over to the familiar blue door and knocked, a little impatiently, and waited all but three seconds before it swung open and there he was, her breath of fresh air.

End of Ems POV

* * *

E-em! Holy...you..l-look...wow!” words failed him. Levi had just been doing some desk exercises when she’d knocked.

_She looks incredible, holy shit. I cannot even talk right now….she..she can see the drool on my mouth can’t she?I_

He closed his jaw and continued to stammer as his brain tried to catch up. “I-i..umm-a-are you- f-fun? I-i was just...desk exercises.” Levi internally cringed, screaming at the lack of a coherent sentence. 

_“Are you fun?” “I was just desk exercises?” Come on..you’re 4000 years old get a damn grip!_

Finally Em put him out of his misery and burst into laughter, doubled over. “Pfffffft-oh my god Levi...I’m sorry haha...I have no idea what you just said, but I’m..I’m guessing you like my look?” she pouted innocently at him, in a playful tone. His brain finally turned back on after downloading the new information about her and he grinned sheepishly back. “A-ah yeah...you..look..

_Here we go again, just tell her she looks beautiful, amazing, incredible, cute, sexy?, hot? Attract-no don’t say attractive that sucks, and do NOT call her sexy, well even though she is...or a goddess?_

After a big debate inside his mind, Levi finally settled on “You..look..incredible.” as blush rose once again to his cheeks and he averted his gaze. “W-well do you want to come in?” he gestured towards the inside of his room and, unexpectedly he was met with a very powerful embrace that sent them flying back into his room. 

_Em you’re gonna give me a heart attack one of these days!_

He said nothing and enjoyed the moment, wrapping his arms tight around her, cradling her for dear life, until she pulled away to look at him. “S-sorry, I just...really needed that…” Em cringed at herself, she was just so happy to hear his reaction and to see him. Asmodeus was right, even the sight of him cheered her up.

_Well I-I er, wasn’t expecting it but I’m not against it._

“I-it’s okay, I- I don’t mind but umm, Em.” he bit his lip in hesitation, she tilted her head in response as he pointed towards his still wide open door. “C-can I just close my door over a sec..?” 

Em buried her head in his chest for a second to hide her embarrassment and then stepped aside, planting herself on his sofa. Levi exhaled and slammed his door shut, regretting ruining their cuddle as he scooted next to her. “So..umm..is everything ok?” 

She met his eyes and smiled warmly. “Yeah..I think so.” 

* * *

Leviathan: YEAAAAAAAAAH guess who’s back ~(˘▾˘~) (~˘▾˘)~

Leviathan: Lucifer FINALLY let me have access to my DDD again

Leviathan: I just read all of your previous messages, thank you ^^

Em: ASDFGHJKL I’M SO GLAD HE CAVED I'VE MISSED TALKING TO YOU SO MUCH T_T

Em: Just in time for the trip! 

Em: You’d better be ready in an hour! 

Em: And you’re welcome ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Levi smiled down at his DDD, Lucifer had finally come to lift his punishment just after breakfast. In an hour's time when everyone had finished with their classes, they’d be setting off to the group retreat; somewhere within the 5th layer of the Devildom. In all his years as a demon he hadn’t set foot in the last three layers; that he recalled, so he and Em were very excited to be going somewhere new together. 

“She’s missed talking to me huh?” he laughed and threw his hand in front of his mouth. Em had given him quite the surprise yesterday with her new makeover and then tackled him into his room to give him a hug, things were starting to look up for him.

They had stayed together until late at night, watching anime and playing games together as usual, and then she excused herself around midnight, stating she had to get some sleep at some point. Levi really wanted to ask if she’d stay the night but he knew better and in the end he let her go. 

_Well I’d better check my suitcase one last time..._

All of his animé and manga was packed, he had ordered a few clothes from Akuzon that were more appropriate for the summer weather; shorts, shirts ,some swimming trunks and he trimmed his bangs just to tidy them up a bit. Now all that was left was to do a little weight lifting, clean his room and feed Henry 2.0.

An hour went by in an instant and before he knew it everyone was ready and waiting at the gates, they were taking a coach as it was much too far on foot.

Satan: I hope everyone’s ready, I’ve got plenty of reading material for all who need it.

Asmodeus: I’ve brought some protection in case anyone wants some fun~

Mammon: Oi who the hell ya bringing that for? It’s only us and Em, the angels, Solomon, Barbatos and Diavolo.

Asmodeus: whoever needs it ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ @Leviathan

Leviathan: What the hell are you on about?! 

Leviathan: Stop being gross!

Em: @Asmodeus please T_T

Em: You promised you’d be good.

Asmodeus: But that’s boooooring~

Asmodeus: I only promised I wouldn’t tease you any more <3

Lucifer: @Asmodeus if you carry on with that filth I’ll make you walk behind us the entire way.

Asmodeus: ;) no comment on that

Beelzebub: Hey guys can we stop for some snacks?

Mammon: We’ve not even left yet! 

Mammon: I do actually need to stop though

Mammon: I need to stock up on some..things :D

Lucifer: I swear to Mephisto if you’re thinking of sneaking alcohol into the premises I will have your head dear brother.

Satan: I’m with Mammon for once, dearest brother.

Satan: It’s a trip for hells sake, let’s all let our horns down a little hm?

Lucifer: Watch your tongue leech.

Lucifer: Fine. but you are only allowed ONE drink each.

Em: I might pass T_T 

Leviathan: Don’t worry we’ll make sure to pick something up for your puny human tolerance ;P

Asmodeus: Oooh look at you two flirting in our group chat ~~~ 

Asmodeus: Do you like it when we watch ;)

Lucifer: @Asmodeus. this is your final warning.

"Hey guys? Why are we all talking on the chat when we’re next to eachother?” Beel spoke up, his booming voice echoing throughout the coach. He was sitting next to Leviathan after many protests from Mammon about not having spent any time with Em. 

_If Mammon hadn’t squealed I’d be sitting next to her for the next three hours… stupid Mammon._

Asmodeus and Satan were sat infront of them “Ooooh Levi’s pissy because he couldn’t sit next to Em~” 

“Asmodeus. If you don’t behave yourself for the next three hours I will turn this coach around and none of us will go on this trip.” Lucifer was sitting right in front next to the demon driver, not even bothering to turn his head to speak.

“Well I’m gonna go to sleep until we get to the rest stop..I’m so hunnngry!” Beel pouted and turned to face the window. 

_Maybe I should nap too.._

Em: Lucifer is like a Dad and we’re all his children.

Leviathan: LOL you’re not wrong >->

Leviathan: Wait..who would be the mom?

Em:...Diavolo ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Leviathan: LOL I nearly laughed out loud for real

Em: D: then we would be in trouble, and you JUST got your DDD back T_T

Leviathan: Ugh three hours of boredom

Em: I know T_T Mammon just keeps showing me selfies on his Devilgram

Em: T_T save me

Leviathan: You know I would if I could :(

Em: It’s going to be a long three hours :(

Leviathan: Well we could always play a game?

Em: What sort of game :o

Leviathan: Wait till Mammon falls asleep >:)

Leviathan: You have your marker pen right?

Em: I do ^^;;?

Leviathan: Well..Beels also asleep ;)

Levi suddenly heard giggling in the seat two rows ahead of him.

Leviathan: shhhh don’t give the game away ^^

Leviathan: Or I’ll have to punish you :D

Em: Wow you almost sounded like Asmodeus there LOL 

Leviathan: LOL sorry

Em: But okay… what animals should we turn them into ;)

Leviathan: You choose Beel and I’ll choose Mammons.

Leviathan: I think Mammon suits a tiger.

Em: Oooh you’re right! then..Beel should be a lion >:D

The two waited all but ten minutes before Mammon started to doze off, and they soon began their facial assault as the coach set off towards the twisting Labyrinth...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah I changed how Asmo makes the pact with MC shoot me ;)  
> we'll still do the Henry 2.0 thing dw, I've just rearranged some things!
> 
> Bit of wish fulfilment with Em this chapter, my hair is in DESPERATE need of cutting and here in the UK salons aren't open for another week at the very least.
> 
> Oh and I punished Levi with the gibberish, I finally hit lesson 17 and he friendzoned me >:(  
> so this is my revenge. I give the boy a whole fanfic dedicated to him and this is how he repays me ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	34. It's Me Again

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mini chapter with our Belphs as promised <3  
> Set the evening before they leave for the trip.

_“Belphie...its me again”_

“Ugh... you woke me up again! You have the worst sense of timing..” The navy haired demon rolled over lethargically, barely able to open his eyes, until he saw the purple doggy bag resting on the wall.

He leapt up giving Em a fright and made his way over to the barred door, his amethyst eyes fixed on the bag in front of him and then he raised an eyebrow upon the sight of the human woman and her new appearance.

“Huh...you ...look different.” he smirked. “I told you... we’re thousands of years old; if you’re trying to impress one of my brothers then it won’t work..unless of course you’re trying to impress _me?”_ he was crawling out of his skin at the very thought, but he had to try to get into her good books for now. The last time she had visited he had lost his temper and she hadn’t come back for a week and Belphie missed his sushi too much.

“N-no of course not! I’m not trying to impress anyone else either...this was all an early birthday treat from Asmodeus actually…” 

“Hah of course, he loves to play dress up; it’s no wonder he enjoys playing with a doll.” he spat the words out and bit his tongue, he hadn’t meant to snap at her until after she’d handed him his food. 

Em ignored the tone, she’d gotten quite used to Belphies facade by now. “Anyway, I just came to make sure you were okay...we’re leaving in a few hours and I’ll be gone for a few days. 

_I’ll just give him his sushi and get out of here before he can start on me_ …

Belphie saw his chance and took it “Oh wow...you were worried about me? Thank you, Em.” The puppy dog pout never failed with her. “Can..can I have my sushi now..please? I promise I’ll be good.”

Em grimaced and rolled her eyes whilst his back was momentarily turned. “Here... “ she pushed the bag through the weakness in the barrier and he graciously swiped it, gorging himself on the sushi she had left him. 

“Oh? Did you make another pact? The seal is weaker again, hey I might even be able to hold your hand if you come close enough...whaddya say Em, wanna hold hands with me all night?” he reached his hand towards the barrier, grazing the back of Ems wrist and she flinched, jumping several steps away from him.

_I’m sorry Belphie but you scare the shit out of me.._

“Aha you know I would but I actually have to be going...Lucifer won’t be gone long, he just went to talk to one of your brothers; I’ll...I’ll see you later.”

“WAIT! DON’T LEAVE!” he launched himself forward with crocodile tears in his eyes. “Em please...at least stay for a few more minutes? I won’t touch you...I won’t insult you.” Deep down Belphie really meant it, he had grown accustomed to her visits and even though he expressed hatred and disgust he couldn’t help but be a little drawn to her; but he didn’t know why and it pissed him off.

Em sighed defeatedly and knelt down just out of reach “Fine...what do you want to talk about?”

“Whatever you want! I’m all ears!” Belphie gestured for her to speak.

“Well..I’ll just give you another update on everything then..I haven’t seen you since the night before the party right? Lucifer was in a foul mood that evening and I'm not quite sure why but he seemed to really have it in for Levi...oh and Levi stood up to him when he yelled at me for having a panic at-"

Belphie grew intrigued at this "For having a what?" 

"N-nevermind, it's nothing." she pressed her lips together, cursing herself for rambling on about things. Em had done her best to not show any weaknesses or give anything personal about herself away to the attic prisoner; nothing he could use against her.

"Did you say Leviathan stood up to Lucifer on your behalf? Wow..have I gone crazy in this prison." he stared at the floor. "Leviathan was never the sort of man to outright stand up to Lucifer, sure he mocks and plays along but huh that's..funny." a sudden frown appeared on his face. He knew exactly which brother Em took an interest in, the many times she visited Belphie felt like all she ever talked about was Levi and the rambling about how great his otaku brother was was becoming almost nauseating.

She zoned out as she remembered that eventful evening and then it hit her...the donations and the academy, and Diavolo. “OH! Belphie!”

He flinched at the sudden raised tone, interrupting him from chewing the last morsels of raw fish. “Mmph?”

“Can you tell me a little more about...demonic powers? There’s something that doesn’t sit right with me...with Diavolo… he knows things about me that..he shouldn’t”

“Huh you’re talking about mind control? It’s possible...he’s the demon prince after all..there are even said to be demons that can bend time and space if they wanted to” Belphie stated matter-of-factly. “What sort of things?”

_Oh no, no you don’t. There’s no way I’m telling you of all people about my past._

“Just...things, things I never told anyone before coming here. To be honest with you, I’m not even sure _how_ I got here...and that’s another thing that’s been bugging me. Belphie don’t you find it strange that you and your brothers are all students in an academy...studying..what are you studying for? How long? Is there ever an end to it?”

“Pfff you’re full of questions tonight..” he sighed and then smirked. “Well the memory thing is possible; I’ve known a few demons in my time since...the fall who could manipulate or erase memories of _lesser beings._ As far as the academy thing goes...yeah I think it’s weird too, but whenever I think too much about it it’s like my brain gives up...almost like...a spell.” the seventh sibling narrowed his eyes and stared into the wall. “I’m sure it’s probably nothing to worry about, nothing you need to worry about anyway..you’ll be loooooooooooong gone by the time we ever graduate”.

He paused as if he could hear movement coming from under them. “Anyway, you should probably get back to your room...next time I hope you tell me who you’re into; it’s quite obvious you know.”

“I-I’m not I sw-”

_Why does everyone keep saying that?!_

“Em, please...you should know better than to argue with me, have fun on your trip whilst I’m stuck in this room...don’t be kissing all my brothers too much without me okay? Oh! And you only need two more pacts until we might actually be able to hold hands or snuggle without these bars between us.” Belphie raised his hand with a very weak wave before he lay back down and turned his back to her, humming as if he was trying to send himself to sleep.

_I..I really don’t trust you Belphie...but your brothers love you, so I’ll try to help you._

_I just hope I don’t regret it._

She whispered to the back of his head, hoping it wouldn’t anger him. _“Take care Belphie...I’ll be back soon...everyone misses you.”_ and she made her way back down the cobble staircase.

As her steps faded, Belphie snapped his head around and stared after her, with a torn expression on his face. “Ugh...humans...Lilith why did you have to go and fall for one, they’re nothing but trouble and it looks like one of my brothers is going to meet the same fate...” he curled up into his favourite cow patterned pillow and fell into a deep sleep. _  
_


	35. Arrival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group make their way to the retreat and are paired off with their roommates.

“Right. **Mammon** I believe you wanted to stop and buy some drinks for everyone, with your own grimm, correct?” Lucifer snapped his head towards his whitehaired brother who was drooling all over Ems shoulder, she’d tried her best to shield herself but due to a bump in the road her pillow moved and he was now slumped against her. “ **MAMMON!”**

“HNUH WHA!” Mammon awoke with a fright, little did he know Em had drawn whiskers and tiger markings all over his face. Lucifer bit his lip, debating whether to laugh or give a stern telling off to the human girl; in the end he raised his eyebrow and nodded. All of the brothers remained silent, Levi and Em were barely holding it together.

“I’m goin, I’m goin’... does anyone want anythin’ in particular?” Mammon asked whilst everyone pressed their lips into a hard line. 

Leviathan: I am trying my hardest not to laugh right now

Leviathan: What did you write on the back of his neck?

Em: Levi-chan is my waifu for laifu¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Em: DON’T LAUGH! 

Leviathan: ROFLMAO I CAN’T HOLD IT

Levi bit down hard on his tongue, struggling to subdue a very immature giggle; he had to find something quick to distract him. In the end he had to do the same as Em and just stare straight ahead of him but then he heard movement next to him. 

“Unnnnngh wait...we’ve stopped! I need food!” Beel had woken up and Levi hadn’t been kind to him either, he’d drawn whiskers, a cat-like nose and a tongue on his gluttonous brother, Em made the mistake of turning around and lost it; and then everyone else turned around...including Mammon.

“HAHAHHAH Beel what the hell is wrong with ya face!” The white haired tiger pointed at his doodled sibling.

“Ehh? You can talk Mammon have you seen yours?!” Beels' laugh echoed throughout the coach, he hadn’t noticed his own appearance in the window's reflection yet. Mammon however had already stepped off the coach.

Lucifer swallowed his amusement and spoke sternly “If you two don’t hurry up then we’ll drive off without you.” Everyone watched the two disappear into the store, five minutes later they returned. Beel was pouting whilst holding arms full of snacks and Mammon looked furious dragging his feet back to the coach, with his arms full of alcohol.

“You’re all lucky they had my favourite flavour of pocky or I’d be angry about this” Beel gestured towards the doodles on his face, he threw himself back down next to his otaku brother causing the whole coach to bounce a little.

“Right, which one of yas did it. Who drew on my beautiful face?! LEVI WAS IT YOU? YA DID THIS A FEW MONTHS AGO TOO I REMEMBER!” The Avatar of Greed was next up, he stomped his way to the back of the coach and grabbed his purple haired brother by the throat, shaking him vigorously. Lucifer sighed and stepped over but then Em spoke. “Actually Mammon it was me…”

_Em..I would have taken the fall..then again he wouldn’t strangle you.._

The white haired brother snapped his head back around and looked at the innocent demeanour of the human girl “Pffft ya don’t have to cover for Levi, Em I kno-”

Em held up the marker pen and grinned sheepishly.

“Oh...well...don’t do it again ya hear?” Mammon sighed as he released his hands from Levi’s neck, slumping back down next to Em in defeat. "The shop keep told us to have a grrrreat day.." he buried his hands in his face as Em burst into laughter.

She suddenly threw Levi a concerned look and tried to get a better view of his neck, that had just been assaulted by his older brother; unfortunately Asmo and Satan were blocking her line of sight.

Em: Are you okay??

Leviathan: I’m fine dw ^^

Em: But that looked painful, he didn’t leave any marks did he?

Em: If he did I’ll use permanent marker next time

Levi smiled down at his DDD fondly, he didn’t think he would ever get used to the feeling of someone worrying for his safety and wellbeing. 

Leviathan: They’ll fade, I heal fast, really I’m fine :)

Leviathan: But ty for worrying ^^

“Anyway, Luci how long till we get there?~ I need to spread my legs a bit~” Asmodeus pouted whilst staring out of the window, nothing but darkness and cliff edges around them.

Beel looked over at Asmodeus in confusion.“Uhhh..don’t you mean stretch?”

“Ooops, yes... stretch~ slip of the tongue~” he giggled. Satan who was sat next to him sighed and held his book up; his emerald eyes burning into it, wishing he could isekai himself right then and there to a better place rather than being stuck listening to sexual innuendos for the rest of eternity.

Lucifer held his hand to his face and rolled his eyes. “You’re all worse than imps, we should be arriving shortly.” 

Luckily for everyone involved it was only another twenty minutes until the scenery shifted from cliff faces and dark abyss’ to twisting branches and decrepit trees as far as the eye could see, right in the heart of the labyrinth was a mansion, it had seen better days and had a few windows missing but it was better than a shack.

The coach slowed to a halt and a mess of green hair could be seen walking towards them.

“We’re glad to see you all arrived safely, Lucifer Lord Diavolo requests your company as soon as everyone is settled. Em, you look lovelier than usual. Greetings to the rest of y-” Barbatos raised an eyebrow as his gaze shifted towards Mammon, who still hadn’t gotten rid of the marker pen on his face. The demon butler smirked and then bowed, taking a few suitcases with him.

Everyone was thankful to be off the coach as the temperature in the Devildom had reached upwards of 90F and they were all wearing their RAD uniforms due to the Demon Prince being in attendance.

Levi dragged himself down the steps carrying his suitcase. “Ugh, this heat...I knew it was coming but...ughhhhhhhhhhh”. He dramatically groaned whilst sticking his tongue out.

“If you’re that hot Levi just strip down to your boxers~” Asmodeus giggled and tapped his sunglasses, carrying his own luggage towards the manor. “I’ve packed plenty of extras if you want a sexy pair?”

“Ew why would I wear YOUR boxers?” Levi held his hand like he was about to vomit, wearing someone else's underwear was gross in itself but wearing the Avatar of Lusts underwear was a revolting thought.

Em blushed at the thought of it and tugged Levi’s shirt. “W-uhhh HEY Levi! I’ve got some water in my backpack if you want it?” she knelt down and unzipped her bag, taking the bottle out and handing it to him.

“Huh?oh sure, t-thank you..” he flinched at the raised voice, but graciously accepted it with a smile, chugging the entire bottle in one go.

_Wait...this bottle hasn’t been opened has it?_

_..if..if it has that’s an indirec-_

“No problem! A-anyway I was just wondering if you wanted to do something later after dinner?” she whispered into his ear “ _I’ve brought some animé and my laptop just incase the Angels didn’t supply a TV”_

 _“_ That sounds great! I brought some too!” Levi grinned and smacked his suitcase. He had brought a few choices ranging from shounen to shoujo as he knew Em was really into romances, plus the crafty part of him wanted to get her in the mindset of wanting a romance like an anime protagonist.

_If we watch romance animé together she might develop feelings for me? I mean...it could work._

_Wow even to myself... I sound desperate._

“Well well you two, flirting again! I’d tell you to get a room but we’re about to~” Asmodeus smirked and watched the couple squirm, this trip would be entertaining to say the least.

Levi and Em jumped backwards immediately due to the teasing and averted their gaze, thankfully they were interrupted from their awkward interaction by Lucifer.

“It won’t do to keep Lord Diavolo waiting, we should head inside to greet him; hopefully we arrived before the Angels and Solomon but with how childish you all were on the coach I doubt our driver was able to concentrate on the road.” Lucifer sighed, rolling his eyes as he made his way to the manor first.

The others walked on ahead and grimaced at the condition of the place, but as Barbatos opened the main door to them their faces relaxed as relief washed over them. The inside was fit for a king, much like the furnishings at Purgatory Hall. There were golden and white looking pillars keeping the place standing, a large bronze chandelier above the main stairway, blood red curtains sweeping across the windows to hide any imperfections and a pristine marbled floor beneath them with markings resembling a family crest.

“Welcome to the group retreat. It’s a pleasure to have everyone here...although I already greeted you all earlier.” Barbatos bowed respectfully, and gestured towards the top of the large staircase infront of them.

“Ahhh you’re all here, wonderful!” Lord Diavolo stood at the top of the staircase admiring the paintings on the wall, he slowly made his way down the steps. He was wearing his usual red military jacket, white tie and black shirt.

“It’s good to see you Lord Diavolo, I heard the donations were quite profitable from the party.” the oldest brother turned his head from side to side. “Hmm it seems neither Solomon nor the Angels have arrived yet...weren’t they our hosts? Where are they?”

“Man now that’s just shameless. Listen to you pretendin’ like you didn’t hurry over here, all frantic to make it to Lord Diavolo before any else could.”

“Hmm did you say something Mammon? I’m sorry I can’t take you seriously with that face.” He gestured towards the blurry cat whisker and tiger striped doodles.

“Ah yes I was wondering about that, Mammon...at least you seem to be in high spirits about our wonderful get away!” Diavolo chuckled, a little too enthusiastically as everyone else grimaced.

“Ah! Speaking of our hosts, they’ve just arrived!” Barbatos walked over to the door and bowed as a familiar set of capes could be seen floating in the breeze. The first to step through was none other than Simeon.

“Hello and good evening! We’ve already got quite the crowd here don’t we? My apologies for being late I..well I’m quite embarrassed.”

Solomon followed close behind and smiled “Simeon opened Oogle Maps upside down so we almost ended up in the completely opposite direction haha!” He caught sight of Em with her new hairstyle and makeover and skipped past everyone, even Levi.

“Em...you look fantastic, definitely the most beautiful woman in the room!” He beamed whilst putting his arm around the small girl. “It’s so great to see you again, but I am a little hurt I’ve not heard from you since our date..”

_She’s the only woman in the room you jackass._

Levi grit his teeth, giving his all to not lose his cool right now, Solomon looked way too cosy with Em than he was comfortable with and from the looks of her anxious and shifty eyes the human girl was none too happy with the physical contact either.

_Take it off, before I break it off._

Lucifer sensed the rise in demonic power in his purple haired brother and pressed his lips together firmly. Levi wasn’t even trying to hide his jealousy or affections for her from everyone now.

“Em!” a small voice cried out and knocked Solomon away from her, it was Luke the youngest angel and he was now locked in an embrace with the human girl.

“What the HEY, what's the big deal running past us like that?” Mammon staggered back, and Solomon coughed as he regained his footing. “Haha I forgot you were fond of our Em too Luke, though I didn’t quite get my hug yet.” he pouted and glared over at Levi when he knew no-one was watching.

“Who said she was going to hug you lol” Levi bounded over to Em protectively, wanting nothing more than to put his own arm around her and take her somewhere safe away from the sorcerer but it just wasn’t realistic with all of his brothers, the angels and the demon prince watching.

“Em I’m so happy you’re alright, SO happy! I’ve not seen you since that disgusting demon hurt your feelings” Luke gave Levi daggers as he tightened his embrace around Em.”...in fact I think the only times I’ve seen you something bad happens, you know like that time with Lucifer in the underground tomb?”

_Huh? Lucifer? Underground tomb?_

Levi snapped his head around to his oldest brother who looked rather perturbed and..ashamed of something from those words, he put his arm up and pointed towards Lord Diavolo and the two slinked off somewhere to talk.

“What’s he talking about Em?” 

“Go away dirty demon...Em why are you even in the same room as him after what he said and did to you!” Luke looked up pouting at her with his blue eyes.

“W-well L-levi’s my friend, I forgave him for..that.”

“Pfft you forgave him? Em you’re way too kind..if I was a few thousand years older I’d smite him good for you...but I don't have a grasp on my powers yet.” he stared at the floor. “You know I would have stepped in and saved you in the tomb if I could’ve right?” 

Everyone's attention was now on the small Angel, except those already in the know like Beel and Mammon who were just shifting awkwardly, they hadn’t said a word to anyone about what happened in the tomb that night.

“Don’t worry Luke, it’s alright..I know you would’ve saved me after I-” Em stopped talking immediately as Levi looked at her with concern, she bit her lip in regret; she hadn’t told him what had happened that evening as she didn’t want him to worry but he would definitely ask now.

“What happened Em? Did you and Luci have a date in the tomb? Wait! Is this the night the whole House shook with lightning?” Asmodeus had joined the conversation now looking rather offended and hurt that Em hadn’t said anything. Since their heart to heart a few days ago Em and Asmo had become even closer and he acted like a personal therapy friend to her.

“All right then! Now that we’re all here, perhaps we should go ahead and explain how this retreat is going to work.” Diavolo returned with Lucifer and gestured over to Barbatos who had been whispering something in Solomons ear.

“Certainly, my lord. The aim of this retreat is for demons, angels and humans to intermingle so that each may gain a better understanding of the other.”

“Ah but don’t mingle _TOO_ much hahah!” Diavolo butted in, throwing a warning glance towards Em and Levi who blushed violently. Solomon narrowed his eyes towards the two. 

Barbatos coughed again. “Yes, Lord Diavolo is correct, though that sort of thing isn’t forbidden it is certainly frowned upon in the company of Angels and you’re here as representatives for the Academy, so please refrain from any inappropriate acts.”

“Ah don’t tell me ya arranged a pillow fight for us to intermingle properly!” Mammon interjected looking very enthuastic.

Barbatos ignored him and continued. “Now then, I'll begin by explaining what we have planned for each day of the retreat.”

“Ehhh ya just gonna ignore me?!”

“ROFLMAO LOL!” Levi lost his composure as he and Em spluttered in the corner of the room, both getting death glares from Lucifer for their rudeness. 

_“Hehe whoops”_ Levi grinned sheepishly at Em.

“After you’ve taken your belongings up to your rooms, we’ll begin with a tour of the manor, where you’ll have the chance to learn about Devildom history. This manor once belonged to a count and countess who over the many many years of their lives collected rare artifacts and I believe there is a library on the fourth floor.”

Solomon piped up at the words rare and artifact and his eyes sparkled with curiosity.

“Tomorrow we’ll be having a scavenger hunt, a game where you play in groups. You use pictures and hints to help you hunt the hidden items down. And each day we plan to have a representative from one of the three realms prepare a meal. I believe it’s Lukes turn first so we’ll be dining on food from the Celestial Realm tonight, tomorrow will be Beelzebubs turn and on the final day Em will be-.”

Em looked downright horrified “W-wait..no one told me about this!” she knew how to cook sure but only the generic stuff and desserts, any sort of fancy food was a complete mystery to her. Levi glanced towards her with a smile to let her know he’d be there to help if she needed.

Diavolo raised his hand reassuringly. “Ah Barbatos we spoke about this, Solomon will be the one to handle the feast for the humans, Em is..excused under those circumstances.” he winked over at Em causing her to exhale in relief.

“Remember Luke you’re making dinner, which means more than just sweets and cakes, understand?” Simeon whispered to Luke. who was now clutching Ems leg like a baby koala.

_I really wish this dog would leave her alone, he’s going to cling on to her for the whole retreat at this rate...but I need to ask her what he meant about the tomb.._

“Anyway, I’ll move on the room assignments. Lord Diavolo will be sharing a room with Lucifer.”

_Of course pah, what else….I..I wonder who Em will be roomed wi- OH JEEZ NOT SOLOMON PLEASE. PLEASE FATHER, PLEASE NO._

“Luke, Beelzebub and Leviathan, you will be sharing a room.”

“Hey bro, we’re roomies!” Beel looked ecstatic, Luke looked furious and Levi was just thankful he wouldn’t have to put up with the sorcerers face in such close proximity.

_He still hasn’t been called..I’m getting worried now._

“Simeon, Asmodeus and Em. you’ll be sharing a room.”

“OH THANK MEPHISTO!” Levi blurted out without thinking, as he sighed in relief. Everyone snapped their heads around looking at him with a quizzical expression. “Ahh..umm sorry, I’m just..just so happy that I’m rooming with Beel..it only just sunk in?”

“ **Idiot**.” Lucifer smirked, along with Satan and Solomon.

“Solomon, Mammon and Satan; you’ll be sharing a room as well. And that covers everyone. You may leave your luggage here or take it with you now, I will call you all down for the tour in an hours time."

Mammon crept over to Asmodeus. “Yo...switch rooms with me”

“...What? why should I?

“Well uhh..Solomon snores and..and Satans feet smell of cats…” The white haired brother threw his voice behind his hand, little did he know Solomon was right behind him and Satan was well within earshot.

“Well that’s an awfully rude thing to accuse me of. And it’s not true, besides you’re the one who snores AND drools. I remember TSL night!” Solomon snapped his finger at Mammon in accusing tone. "Besides do you really want to go there with your face looking like that right now?" he smirked.

“Yes that’s incredibly rude Mammon, and my feet don’t smell of cats; how would you know anyway? The truth is you want to share a room with Em, don’t you?” Satan smirked but shifted his gaze over to Levi as he said it; watching his brother tense up.

“ **You’ll all be staying in the rooms that were decided for you, no exceptions. Asmodeus need I remind you to be on your best behaviour.”** Lucifer had had enough of the bickering, he wanted to get a glass of wine and be alone for a bit; it had been a long journey and a noisy one at that.

“Of course I will be, me and Em are besties now aren’t we Em ~” Asmodeus flung his arm around Em, thankfully Luke had let go.

“Haha Em you’ve got your own little harem there! Room for one more?” Solomon winked playfully.

 _Oooh you just wait till I get you alone with no witnesses you snowman looking bastard._ Levi cracked his knuckles whilst Beel gave him a look of worry and concern, he still hadn't kept his envy in check by the looks and sounds of his teeth grinding against eachother.

“Everyone take your things up to your rooms. **Now.** And if I catch wind of anyone switching or doing anything inappropriate well, Cerberus has always been a huge fan of legs.”

Everyone flinched and grabbed their cases, Levi watched as Asmodeus carted Em off to their room with Simeon in tow.

"I'll see you later Levi!" she called out, smiling back at him. Levi could do nothing but wave as they disappeared into the corridor.

Luke rolled his eyes up at Levi who was pining for Em to come back.“Ugh don’t look at her like that, you disgust me. I can’t believe I’m stuck in a room with _you.”_

“Now now Luke, Levi's my brother so if you insult him you’re insulting me too” Beel pouted. He just wanted everyone to get along. 

_Ugh, I’m with the one person that can’t stand me. Well..at least Em is safe around Asmodeus if Simeon is there..and she wasn’t roomed Solomon._

_Phew._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Silly fluff adlibbed from lesson 7-2? this chapter, even I needed a break from the angst lol. (sorry about that, there's been a lot of angst in my personal life lately and it definitely reflected on my story, thanks to those who stuck around.)
> 
> Jealous Levi is best Levi and I will be playing a lot on that with things to come.  
> This is the start of the group retreat arc, ladies and gentleman. 
> 
> You may want to strap yourselves in for the ride ;)


	36. An Old Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group settle into their rooms before the tour.

_This is eternal damnation. Not immortality, not the fact I’m a demon, not the fact I’m in love with my best friend who is also a human and will be leaving in a few months forever_

_THIS._

He internally reeled, the small angel had brought his own things from the Celestial realm too and even though they only had an hour before the grand tour, Levi felt like he’d been here one hundred hours.

Luke had insisted on bringing his harp, trumpet, and flute and forced the purple haired demon and his brother to listen and watch as he scraped out sounds that would cause your ears to bleed; this was Luke’s punishment on Leviathan for hurting Ems feelings.

“Hey! Demon! If you don’t pay proper attention I’ll tell Em you’ve got porn stashed in your suitcase!” Luke huffed, he had been watching Levi grit his teeth in pain ever since he started playing.

“Wait Levi you brought that stuff?” Beel threw his brother an accusatory glance as Levi’s face grew hot. The glutton had actually enjoyed the angel's performances as it was better than being forced to watch animé, plus Luke shared his snacks.

_Ugh Luke must have seen the cover art and not read the title! Damn the Japanese and their need for short skirts and sex appeal!_

“N-no! It’s not porn it’s manga...so technically if it WAS porn it’d be hentai but that’s not the case! Look!” Levi dived for the manga in his suitcase and held it up for everyone to see. “Okay the cover art is a little..and there IS some fanservice, but c’mon what manga or animé doesn’t have that these days... unless it’s josei and even then- ANYWAY I _promise_ you it’s a romance!”

“I don’t believe you, you’re just trying to do unsavoury things with Em so you can brag about it, that’s why you brought your porn! So you can seduce her like the evil disgusting creature you are!” Luke was physically repulsed by the sight of the woman on the cover, he hadn’t liked Leviathan since the moment they first met due to the hostility and the fact the demon read smut like this disgusted him.

_He’s got the context wrong, but he’s right. I wanted my romance manga to seduce her heart._

“Hey! You got the wrong demon...that-that’s something Asmodeus would do.” his pupils shrank to the size of dots. Asmodeus and Em were roommates, Levi had been so overjoyed that she wasn’t stuck with Solomon making moves on her that he hadn’t thought of the possibility that Asmo would try something on; and the fact that she wasn’t responding to his messages seemed to fuel that fear.

Levi rose to his feet and stared at the door, he’d just make an excuse like he wanted to see what manga she brought or, he wanted to borrow something from Asmodeus. “Uhhh hey I’m gonna go get some fresh air!”

“Tell Em I said hi!” Beel smirked, he knew exactly where his brother was going. “H-hey Luke, play that song that goes la la la la LA LA, you know the one!” he winked at his otaku brother in support.

The small angel sighed “Well you’re going to have to narrow it down a bit...do you mean la la la la LA LA or la la la LA LA la? I guess I’ll just play them both!” he grinned, but then spotted Levi making his escape.

“If I find out you did anything to her I’ll report you to Mi-” Levi slammed the door over before he heard “Michael” one more time, they’d only been there twenty minutes and he was sick to death of Luke. 

He made his way to the other side of the Manor where Asmodeus, Em and Simeon were staying, and was just getting ready to knock on the door when he heard muffled voices.

“UNGH Asmo..I think it’s stuck” Em grunted behind the door. 

“It can’t be! Just try to give it one last tug!” Asmodeus sounded breathless and frustrated.

Levi blinked rapidly in disbelief, had all the talk of porn and seducing worn him down to the point of auditory hallucinations?

_N-no.. they can’t be...they wouldn’t! Em would never do something like that, especially with Asmodeus of all dem-_

He was about to shake the silly thoughts off when he heard Em groan loudly.

Her breathing was erratic and shaky. “UGH it’s no use, h..hang on.. I’ll try another angle” 

“UNF yeah you’re right, can you grab it with both hands this time? If that doesn’t work I’ll ask Simeon for his help”

_S-SIMEON?! WHY WOULD YOU INVOLVE AN ANGEL OF ALL THINGS! WHAT THE HELL I THOUGHT SHE WAS SAFE?!_

Levi decided he had heard enough as his ears burned and his face matched that of the blood red curtains on the window behind him and he started frantically knocking on the door as his thoughts turned into a more adult rating.

_I’ve- I’ve gotta get in there, now!_

“UGH why did you have to put it all in...oh wait hang on I hear something!”

Just as Levi was about to kick it down, the door swung open and he was greeted by Em, fully clothed and no signs of anything inappropriate. “L-levi is everything okay? Are you sick? Your face is all red!”

“I-i’m fine! I just..uhh w-what are you doing in here?” Levi was still struck with panic but he’d relaxed a little seeing that she was clothed, his eyes trailed down momentarily to confirm she still had a bra on at least. 

“We were just-” Em leaned forward, turning her gaze up at Levi with a frown, he was still bright red and sweaty and she was worried for his health.

“Oh Levi, perfect! I need a hand” Asmodeus head appeared just behind the connecting wall.

“Uhhhh….okay?” Levi pulled a confused and concerned face as he drew closer to the back of the room. 

Asmodeus was also fully clothed albeit looking a little sweaty as he was desperately trying to pull something out of a drawer. “Ugh Levi..I made the mistake of trying to fit all my shirts in one drawer so Em could have the top one...but I think I’ve broken it, we can’t get a good grip on it because there’s no handle and it’s not sliding out.”

_Thank Mephisto….oh I was ready to break the door down and pull him off her._

“Ohhhhhhhhhhhh that’s what you were talking about” Levi put his hand on his face, blushing violently. Cursing Luke for sending his thoughts down that dirty path but relieved that Em and Asmodeus weren’t breaking the one rule of the group retreat half an hour into their first day.

“Huh, what did you think we were talking ab-” Asmodeus thought for a second and then a massive beaming grin appeared on his face and he failed to stifle his amusement “Ohhh HAHAHAHA oh Levi, you’re worse than me~! Wow did you think me and Em were? Ahahahaa!~”

 _Dude don’t tell her! Ugh...just kill me now. please._  
  
Levi wanted the ground to swallow him up and dared not even look over at Em who also seemed to have calculated the misunderstanding in her mind.Thankfully they were saved by the door opening and the other, older angel standing beneath it. 

“Oh, Leviathan! I must have just missed you in the corridor, Luke said you had..inappropriate comics?” It was Simeon, he sounded concerned but the graceful smile never wavered.

“Oh jeez...n-no it’s not what you think!”

_And they’re not comics! ...and call me Levi!_

Asmodeus smirked “ No wonder your mind went there if you’ve been reading that sort of thing Levi.~” He turned to face Em who still had the complexion of a tomato. “Em, did you know he was bringing erotica with him or was it planned? Is this what you two were whispering about downstairs?~”

“I swear to you Em, it’s not porn! It’s Dark Maiden of Amnesia!” Levi pleaded with his eyes, praying she’d heard of the title before. 

Luckily for him, her face lit up in recognition. “Oh I loved that animé! Hah... yeah I can understand where Luke misunderstood. Simeon, Levi’s telling the truth.” she looked back down to the traumatized otaku and giggled. “But really you should know better to leave that lying around where normies can see it” 

_Marry me..._

“Hah yeah, my mistake..I was taking my Zwitch out and he happened to see volume 6…” he sighed. This trip had barely begun and he’d made a fool out of himself twice, been accused of bringing porn and almost died of embarrassment multiple times. “A-anyway I came here to see if you wanted to hang out for a little bit? Hell knows I could do with some fresh air right now..”

“O-oh sure, but there’s only half an hour till the tour..” she pouted, she wanted nothing more than to join him but time wasn’t on their side.

“O-oh you’re right...well, we’re still on for after dinner right?” He smiled warmly at her, trying to ignore everyone else's piquing interest. She was about to answer but was cut off by Asmodeus who would be sure to ask her all about it as soon as his brother left.

“Well as much as I love watching you two attempt to flirt, I’m afraid Em is right; Levi you should probably head back to your room and read your porn for a bit ~”

“I told you it’s not porn!” Levi threw his hands in the air and rolled his eyes in defeat. Em giggled once more whilst Simeon just looked bemused by the whole scene in front of him.

“I’ll see you soon Levi..I’ll message you!” Em tapped her pocket and waved him off. Simeon apologized for the misunderstanding and Levi slowed his pace to that of a snail on the way back to his room. 

Em: So sorry about that! 

Em: I was just wondering…

Em: Where are we going to watch our animé :(

Leviathan: Oh I didn’t think about that...well I’ll see if Luke and Beel are doing anything later

Leviathan: Is there a way you can get Asmodeus and Simeon out of the room? I don’t want anyone to disturb us.

Leviathan: Watching the animé I mean!

_Why does it feel like we’re doing something naughty? I blame that damned dog, and Asmodeus._

Em: ^^;; I’ll ask!

Em: I’ll see you soon!

* * *

The tour was as boring as Levi thought it’d be, everyone listened to Barbatos drone on for hours about the Count and Countess who used to reside there hundreds of years ago and had since moved to the 8th layer of the Devildom where the most rich and wealthy of demonkin lived. The manor resembled more of a museum now that Levi thought about it, and they quickly learned all of the artifacts were just replicas; the real things were currently in Diavolo’s treasury where they were guarded 24/7.

“Ah that explains all of the insignia on the doors of the castle on the evening of the party!” Solomon exclaimed, he had been very interested in the subject when it came to talk of the whereabouts and purposes of the artifacts.

“Oh do you mean those red squiggly lines? I assumed they were just for decoration!” Em perked up and innocently asked. 

Levi couldn’t help but laugh at the word squiggly, he’d never heard it before and noticed Em said a lot of phrases and words that were alien to him.

_So cute, I need to ask her more english words sometime. Maybe tonight?_

“Squiggly line? That sounds tasty!” Beel patted his stomach, he was counting down the seconds till the tour came to an end and the feast started.

Mammon sighed and held his hand to his head. “Oi it’s not food it’s err..Em help me out here?”

“Ah sorry yes..sometimes it slips out. My apologies for interrupting you, Solomon, Barbatos” Em shrank into her shirt in embarrassment, thankfully Barbatos just smiled at her and continued explaining as he, Satan, Lucifer and Diavolo walked on ahead.

“Not at all Em, I’m curious too, what does that word mean?” Solomon tilted his head in curiosity and strode over to the human girl, coming between her and Levi again. 

“Oh it just means curved line, or a doodle…” Em recoiled slightly at how close the tall sorcerer was standing next to her, if he moved an inch to the left they’d be touching cheeks. She liked Solomon but sometimes he didn’t know the meaning of personal space.

Levi felt his blood boiling again, he knew it was ridiculous of him to get so worked up on the slightest interactions between Em and the sorcerer but he couldn’t help it, not only did he not like how close Solomon was; he was jealous that he didn’t have the guts to do that sort of thing either. The human male was a lot more confident in himself and it grinded Levi’s gears to see him act upon his emotions so easily.

_Beel was right. I need to get it together… I just.. I don’t trust Solomon. Something doesn’t sit right with me._

“Oh Em, I was wondering if you were doing anything after dinner later? I was going for a stroll in the grounds and thought maybe you wanted to join me?” Solomon smirked and scratched the back of his head.

“O-oh...sorry Solomon but I have plans with Levi later..I’ll go another time though! _”_ Em winced, she hated disappointing people and even when she was less thrilled than she should be she’d always make time for everyone.

 _Take that Jack Frost!_ Levi fist pumped the air discreetly.

“Ugh Em, I don’t understand what you see him in you know, you could be a lot happier with someone else” He smirked as his breath tickled her ear, and glanced back over at Levi who was cursing up a storm in his head right now.

“W-what do you mean? Levi’s my friend, Solomon I appreciate you looking out for me but don’t insult him.” Even Em was starting to get irritated now, how dare he openly insult her best friend infront of him in a public setting.

“Hah yeah I know he is, sorry I didn’t mean to cause any offence I just..well...how about tomorrow then? I’ll text you the details.” 

_“_ Okay.. _”_ Em really didn’t want to go now but felt the need to, angry at herself for getting worked up over a silly comment.

Levi had heard the entire conversation and felt his heart drop and a deep feeling of dread in his stomach. What in Devildom was Solomon planning?

_Is..is he going to confess? Is he gonna get her drunk again and..do things? I have to find out what he wants with her._

Suddenly a woman's voice screamed, echoing throughout the room. “How could you, how could you, Asmodeus this is all your fault!” 

Everyone looked around in confusion, Asmodeus’ eyes widened as he recognized the sound. “Wait where have I heard that voice…” 

“Is that a woman screaming?” Even Simeons never faltering smile was wiped off his face at the banshee shriek.

“ASMODEUS, YOU LOOK AT ME WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU!”

“What the hell is going on!?” Levi spun around and followed the source of the voice, there was a painting just above the ceremonial dagger display in front of them. “Is..is the voice coming from this painting?”

“Interesting...that’s Helene, a witch known for her unparalleled beauty! Countless humans, angels and demons alike fell under her spell. But I remember reading somewhere that she betrayed her lover for some unknown reason and a great war destroyed the entire country. Helene was derided as a horrible, wicked woman who sold her soul to a-” Solomon turned away from the painting to face Asmodeus with growing curiosity.”demon….Asmodeus...are you the demon from the books?” 

“Huh? Ohhhh I remember Helene now, wow..it’s been 400 years at least hasn’t it hun?” Asmodeus gazed at the now angry looking painting of a beautiful woman with golden honey coloured hair.

“Why aint I surprised...of course Asmo and her had a thing” Mammon held his hands up and sighed.

_What the hell is going on right now?_

“Don’t hun me! I’ll never forgive you for what you did to me! After what happened I incurred the wrath of the nephew of my former lover, who was a sorcerer. He sealed me inside of this painting and I had to watch the Count and Countess parade me around like some sort of side attraction for hundreds of years!”

“Your former lover's nephew..oh! Do you mean Demetrios? Wow did he grow up to be as gorgeous as his dad too?~” The lustful demon strolled right up to the painting as if he was greeting an old friend.

“SILENCE! I’ve been waiting for this chance for years, it was only a matter of time before I ran into you here.” the painting screeched with a bitter hatred in her tone.

_Yikes Asmo’s ex is scary as hell...good thing she’s trapped in a painting._

“Well I mean you’re not exactly running anywhere..you don’t have legs..” Levi muttered under his breath.

“I must be so hungry that I’m hallucinating..someone hand me a snack or something” Beel pouted in confusion.

“Uh if you’re seeing and hearing things then we ALL are.” Luke barked up at the glutton.

“Asmodeus did you really do those horrible things to that woman?” Em was shocked to her core, the Asmo she knew would never cause such misfortune upon someone like that.

“Well it’s not exactly all my fault Em...plus it was yeaaaaaaars ago.” Asmo bit his tongue. “But wow, it’s been sooo long whatcha been upto?”

“Do you really think you should be flirting with her right now, Asmodeus?” Solomon scoffed as he and the others just watched the painting glow red as anger boiled up in Helene.

“Asmodeus you haven’t changed one bit! You’re still the same awful womanizer of a demon you’ve always been! Not a day has passed that I haven’t thought of how much I hate you, how much I RESENT you! NOT ONE SINGLE DAY!”

Mmmhm thank you, I missed you too, you know~ you’re turning me on with this dominating voice ooho~” Asmodeus shuddered in pleasure as everyone else grimaced in horror. How could Asmodeus be so relaxed and uncaring right now?

“Maaan, she’s not getting through to him at all...should we all just leave them to it?” Mammon gestured towards the other room where Lucifer, Barbatos, Diavolo and Satan were.

Levi, Em and Mammon started to creep away with Beel and Solomon in tow but suddenly Helene spoke again and it felt like the room had more of a chill than before.

“Hah. I may be imprisoned inside this portrait but I haven’t lost ALL of my power. In fact I still have enough power to capture you, as you’re about to see!” the painting laughed in maniacal glee.

_Is she gonna cast a spell? I have to protect Em._

“Em. come here, quick!" Levi reached for Ems arm to pull her towards him as he was nearest the door, but Solomon swooped in shielding her with his cloak within seconds.

“D’AAAAAAAH I’M BEING' DRAGGED IN! WHY DIDN’T YOU SAY SOMETHIN EARLIER!” Mammon felt a ghostly essence pulling him towards the portrait as the woman's figure disappeared and was replaced by a swirling black vortex; growing stronger with every second until it resembled the velocity of a tornado.

Everyone felt their legs give way and they were sucked into the black void, only Luke and Simeon remained unaffected. The walls around them shifted into black fog, the vortex ripped and tore through the group separating them, Solomon was blown away first due to his cape catching on the wind swept below him.Then Levi watched in horror as Em was swept in an entirely different direction from him. Asmodeus and Beel were thrown to the right of him and Mammon was sent in the same direction as Em.

Levi felt his vision blurring as he was thrown upwards in the void, he reached his hand out blindly hoping for anyone to catch him, and then everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for THAT scene :'D
> 
> Yeah I adlibbed the painting thing from lesson 7-10?


	37. Trapped

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The group are separated and thrown into an underground maze, Mammon and Levi talk.

“Get up. Leviathan.” 

_That voice…ugh..._

Levi felt his body being shaken as he scrunched his eyes open weakly, he squinted as his vision returned and was met with a stoic expression and hazel-blue eyes looking at him with disdain.

“S-solomon? What-w-where are we?...Where’s Em?” Turning his head weakly from left to right all that could be seen were tall stone walls on every side of them, like some sort of giant maze.

“Finally awake I see..” Solomon rolled his eyes as he turned away, leaving the demon on the ground in confusion. “Why did I have to get stuck with you of all demons…” he muttered to himself as he strode on ahead.”Em and the others must be somewhere around here..” 

Levi reached into his pocket immediately, pulling out his DDD. 

"I tried that...there's no signal down here." Solomon sighed as he tore his gaze back away.

Not seeing any other option, Levi stumbled awkwardly to his feet and ambled behind the sorcerer as his strength returned to him. 

The two walked in complete silence as Solomon summoned light magic to use as a makeshift torch, he extended his arm upwards to observe their surroundings and discovered that the ceiling was far far above them with blades hanging down. 

All the turns they took resulted in a dead end, and they found themselves lost after what felt like hours of walking, the bones of rats crunched under their feet and spider webs decorated the labyrinth.Levi felt his patience starting to wear thin, the silence was deafening and he was beside himself with worry about his brothers and Em. It was too quiet and the fact she hadn’t summoned him immediately after they were swept apart terrified him.

_I can’t take this silence any more...he’s acting like I’m not even here._

“Solomon...talk to me...what is this place?”

Solomon ignored him completely, turning his head away from the sound of Levi’s voice.

“Dude... what the hell is your problem with me! I’ve apologized till I was blue in the face..I thought we were friends…” Levi yelled, with a pained expression on his face. He hadn't wanted to lose his temper with the sorcerer like this, especially in the current situation. 

“Oh spare me the crocodile tears and the drama right now. Do you want to find Em and your brothers or not? Hm?” Solomon snapped, refusing to make eye contact as he walked on ahead searching frantically for any signs of life.

_Of course I do! But I need to resolve whatever..this is first._

Levi’s temper reached boiling point and he grabbed the sorcerer by the wrist, before he could walk any further. “I’m not going anywhere until you talk to me. Why do you hate me so much?”

The white haired human clenched his fists and rolled his eyes, they had better things to do right now than have this conversation of all conversations. But Levi had worn his patience down along with his own. “Why? Because you’re all the damned same; cruel, heartless monsters! We’re just pawns...playthings for you in the end; that is what you said to Em right? That you were playing with her.”

_What does he mean we’re all the same? I thought he got on well with demons..._

  
“But I didn’t mean what I said to her! I was...scared alright? I was a coward and I thought pushing her away was the best decision. It was selfish of me to think that..”

“Scared? Funny. How can someone granted with eternal life have anything to fear.” Solomon exhaled deeply. “I already knew you were a coward. But I..wanted to believe you were better than all of the others, to prove me wrong. Now I see that you’re all rotten to the core.”

_All of the others?_

Sensing that Solomon had already made up his mind on his perception of him, he changed tactics.“Fine, think what you want. Just answer this and I’ll shut up.” He took a deep breath and stared at the floor. “That time you text me that she deserved better...were you talking about yourself?”

_I mean I know you like her, it’s obvious..but I need to hear you say it._

Solomon shuddered and he averted his gaze.“Tsk I’m not having this conversation, not with _you_. And not here. Take your hand off me before I resort to using my magic on you, Leviathan.” he lifted up his other hand and pointed it towards Levi’s neck, sparks of electricity crackled menacingly at him.

“You wouldn’t...if I unleashed my powers on you Solomon I-” Levi started but trailed off, unable to carry out his threat as he looked into the sorcerer's eyes. He didn’t want to hurt him, but Solomon wasn’t giving him much of a choice with his own threats.

_I wouldn’t be able to stop myself...and I don’t want to hurt you. Not really._

Solomon's eyes darkened and his voice became cold and unforgiving. “You’ll what? Hurt me? I’d like to see you try. You’re one of the weakest demons I’ve ever met and I’ve met...a lot.”

Suddenly Solomon clenched his hand shut and the sparks fizzled out, he tore his gaze away from the purple haired otaku and his eyes shifted towards a certain spot in the wall to the left of them. He held both hands together, chanting some words in what sounded like Latin. 

A white beam of energy shot out of his palms and struck through the wall, creating a large cavity as the bricks disintegrated, collapsing in on itself and Levi’s eyes widened as the dust cleared.

“I-is that?”

On the other side of the now gaping hole, Beel and Mammon could be seen cowering; in front of them a large dark green serpentine figure dwarfed them.It must have been at least fifty feet long; its yellow unforgiving eyes locked on to the two demons as its tongue kissed the air and its body slowly coiled into an attack stance.

“Oi! Don’t just stand there come and help!” Mammon was cowering behind a barrel, his knees trembling in fear at the sight of the giant snake eyeing him like a tasty snack. Beel was more composed but his eyes kept darting around like he couldn’t focus properly on the monster in front of them.

_I..I recognize this snake..the scales, if there’s one missing near the tail then..wait.._

His eyes trailed down and found that there were a few emerald scales that had been torn off near the base of the tail.

_Henry 1.0?!_

Solomon sighed as he watched Leviathan space out, just staring into oblivion; he took aim at the snake as he started to chant again but suddenly Levi snapped out of his trance.

“WAIT NO! DON’T HURT HIM! HE’S...HE’S HENRY 1.0!” Levi leapt through the gap in the stone and faced the snake, his hand gingerly reaching out towards it as it stared down hungrily at him.

"Henry? your pet?" Solomon grabbed hold of his own hand and pushed it away forcefully in the opposite direction, firing a stray blast into the other wall. “A little warning next time..” he sighed and stepped over the rubble, joining the others.

The snake locked eyes with Leviathan and the two were trapped in a battle of wits, his eyes never left the snake as he gestured for the others to slip away to the side. “I won’t let him hurt you don’t worry, Solomon..take Mammon and Beel..find Em and Asmodeus, I’ll keep Henry occupied. As long as I keep my eyes on him he won’t be able to strike.”

_I’m full of shit, when Henry was a hatchling he’d always strike at me...the forums all told me to keep my eyes fixed on him so he knew who was dominant but.._

“Are you crazy? That thing will snap you like a twig.” Mammon shuddered.

Solomon grabbed Levi's shoulder and sighed. “Fine...you leave me no choice.” With one flick of his wrist he hurled Levi and the brothers towards the opposing wall. “I won’t hurt it but I’ll help buy us some time, I don’t enough power for anything further than a stones throw but-”

The sorcerer raised both arms and traced an insignia around him. “Hear me denizens of the darkness, you who are born of shadow and you who give birth to it, hear me and do as I command. I Solomon call upon you to send forth one of your number, I summon the avatar of Lust, Asmodeus!” The insignia glowed purple for a second and then faded out. “Huh? W-why didn’t it work..?”

_W-wait since when did Asmo have a pact with him?_

“Solomon’s not gonna make it!” Mammon covered his eyes in horror as the snake sensed hesitation.

“Levi quick, your tail!” Beel yelled at Levi, pulling him back on his feet. “We can’t make it to him fast enough but you can!”

_As much as you hate me Solomon...I won't let you die._

The snake lunged forward at the sorcerer but Levi drew his tail and wrapped it around Solomon's waist, pulling him out of the way of Henrys’ fangs with seconds to spare. The snake crashed into the ground and hissed in pain.

“N-no...it must be Helene..she’s blocked any summons!” The sorcerer stared into space in shame and bewilderment, Levi’s tail still clutching him. “Ugh my powers drained too, I’m useless like this” his eyes trailed down as he saw the serpentine tail constricting him and he flailed around to break free. ”Let me go!”

Levi unwrapped his tail freeing him, and tapped Solomon on the shoulder. “Hey you’re not useless.. But we need to get out of here and find the others.” The sorcerer looked up into his amber eyes, scared and confused. Solomon had acted so hateful and cruel towards him so why, why would he save his life? He shook his head and dusted his cape off, clambering up onto his feet once more.

Mammon pointed at the snake as it regained it’s composure and slowly slithered towards them, furious at the missed lunge.“Hey guys I hate to ruin ya little moment here but we need to run! NOW!” 

“He’s right! Come on!” Beel bounded towards a wall that looked a little different than the others, there was an indent in the wall and what looked like remnants of a keyhole. He blew on it and ushered Solomon over. “Can you open it with your magic?” 

“I....I can feel my power ebbing away slowly...but..” He lifted his arm up weakly as a yellow glow shined and the wall shifted and a small oak door appeared in front of them.

“QUICK, INSIDE NOW!” They all scuffled into the small opening and slammed the door just as Henry struck, dust falling down from the ceiling around them. Levi turned his head and explored the room around them, it looked like a holding cell of a dungeon. And to his utter relief a pair of green-blue eyes peered up at them all from one of the cells. 

“EM!” Levi threw himself over to her, words couldn’t express how relieved he was to see her safe, but she winced as she stepped over to him and collapsed on the ground. His eyes darted down to her leg and he realized she was bleeding, heavily as he held her in his arms.

“Oi! Em..a-are you okay? What the hell happened!” Mammon strode over with Beel in tow, both beside themselves with worry about the human girl. They had no medication, no bandages or way to stop the bleeding and they were still trapped in whatever this place was.

“Oh thank go-Mephisto! You’re all okay!” She wrapped her arms around Levi as she looked up into his concerned eyes. Her leg had a gaping hole in it, blood was running down her leg and her hands were stained red. “Don’t worry..I-I’ll be fine, we tried climbing over one of the walls and..a blade..struck me.” Em bit her lip, averting her gaze from them as she winced through the pain.

Beel and Mammon glanced at each other worriedly, unsure if that was true or not. Em had already proven to them on the night in the underground tomb that she had a penchant for sacrificing herself and they knew that Asmodeus would have done everything to protect her from harm's way.

“Em! You need to be more careful! I’m just glad you’re alive..”Levi sighed with relief but the more pressing matter was how they were going to get out of here and get her some medical attention.”We need to stop this bleeding...oh jeez..there’s so much..” he combed his bloodstained fingers through his hair in distress.

_We need to get out of here quickly, that wound is really deep, Solomon might be able to heal her but..he’s really weak. I’m so damn useless if I’d been quicker on my feet to push her out of the way when Helene cast that spell we might’ve made it to Lucifer and the others._

“YOU’RE FINALLY HERE! Solomon! Can you heal with your magic?” Asmodeus came running from the other end of the corridor carrying strips of cloth. “I tore some old parchment and whatever I could find but..” he looked down at Ems wound with a guilty expression “This is all my fault..”

“I..I tried to summon you all” she peered up at Mammon, Beel and Levi. “But it wouldn’t work.” she gripped tighter on Levi’s jacket, as the dull aches of pain returned and her vision started to blur.

Solomon exhaled deeply as he drew in every last ounce of strength he had and staggered towards them both.

“You’re going to be fine, Em.” He gave Levi a nod and the demon stepped aside to let the sorcerer work his literal magic, a green aura shone around her leg as the skin started to repair itself; and after a few seconds the mangled flesh twisted and folded the skin around itself slowly closing. “I’m afraid I can only do that much..my powers, they’re fading. Helene must be absorbing them.” The green aura faded and there was still a wound but more of a cut then a puncture.

_Thank you..._

She struggled to her feet as the sorcerer helped her up,Levi could do nothing but watch; feeling useless. “Thank you Solomon...ugh I’m sorry, I really need to be more careful.” Em smiled at everyone. “I’m sorry for worrying you all.”

“Em don’t you dare do anything like that ever again!” Asmodeus cast a stern gaze at the human. But before the others could interject the walls around them trembled and the sound of laughter could be heard. 

“You’ll all be trapped here forever! You can thank Asmodeus for what he did to me! How does it feel being left to rot?” the shriek echoed throughout the maze.

Asmodeus bit his lip and looked down. “I’m sorry everyone..this is all my fault.” He suddenly felt anger brimming inside him and yelled out to the voice “Helene why are you doing this, everyone here but me is innocent!” His demonic power flowed around him and his form was transformed, four small bat like wings poked out of his spine and two pink tipped horns erupted from his caramel coloured hair.

“Solomon, take my power. Get them out of here…” Asmodeus smiled somberly at the others. “She means to punish me and me alone, I’ll eventually get her to forgive me and release me so don’t worry.”

“No. Asmodeus you can’t!” Beel frowned, he refused to lose another brother. He clenched his fists and turned towards the sorcerer. “Take my power too, get us ALL out of here.”

“Eh...y-yeah take mine too! Just..just not all of it k?” Mammon winced as he prepared his essence to be absorbed.

Levi was just about to offer himself as well but Solomon groaned.

“It won’t be enough...ugh. I really didn’t want to have to use this but you all leave me no choice.” Solomon reluctantly reached into his pocket and held up a black obsidian crystal. “ Exibit spiritus vires praebeat pro essentia strigae, I Solomon beseech thee, return us from whence we came!” He traced a shape on the ground around him. “Everyone get in the circle, quickly!”

"No...w-what are you doing! WHERE DID YOU GET THAT? WHO ARE YOU!" Helene screeched, fear causing her voice to waver.

Everyone did as he said and Beel scooped Em up effortlessly in his arms, and like a flash of lightning they were zapped back into the manor. But a blood curdling scream of a woman rang in their heads one last time, and then faded into nothing like a snuffed out candle.

“What in Devildom happened to you all?!” Satan held his hand on his chest in shock and the angels came running to the heap of disoriented bodies on the floor. Diavolo and Lucifer stood at the foot of the door, bewildered with their gaze fixed on the now still portrait of the woman.

Solomon whipped his cloak around and clutched his head. “Ugh.., feels like I went five rounds with Thor himself.”

_Ugh my head...it’s burning. D-did we make it? What the hell did Solomon do?_

Levi opened his eyes reluctantly as the candlelight blinded him momentarily, it had been pitch black in that maze and he found it troubling to readjust.“W-we made it back, oh thank Mephis- IS EVERYONE OKAY!?” He snapped his head back around and stared down at the heap under him.

“W-we’re fine but Levi...get off us.” Levi looked down at the voice, he was sitting on top of Mammon along with Asmodeus who still seemed to be out of it. Beel cradled Em protectively in his arms as she also came to. 

Diavolo narrowed his eyes at the sorcerer, and then looked back at the portrait. However before he could speak Lucifer marched over to everyone. “What in DEVILDOM happened to you? We’ve been here three hours, you all just up and vanished. Do you have any idea the trouble you’ve caused us!” 

The group shifted to their feet and recollected their version of events. After everyone had received some medical attention; especially the two humans, they were sent back to their rooms with food. 

* * *

A few hours passed and Levi paced up and down the corridor, sure Em had been healed by magic but it didn’t stop him worrying about her condition. Diavolo had urged everyone but Solomon to get some rest after the ordeal and apologized profusely for the misfortune as if he were somehow to blame.

“Levi, what are you doin here; you should get some rest!” His white haired brother came marching down the corridor, his face plastered with guilt and remorse.

“How do you expect me to rest, Em could’ve…” he lowered his voice. _“Em could’ve died in there, if-if Solomon hadn’t have been there I-_ ” Levi clenched his fists, unable to finish his sentence.

_I could’ve lost her._

“O-oi it’s okay,she’s fine! Solomon thankfully WAS there and he was more than helpful! Anyway she’s probably asleep...c’mon let's go get a drink; Mephisto knows I could do with one now.” Mammon ushered his brother down the corridor and Levi stared yearningly back as he was led away.

The two demons grabbed a glass of wine each and sat at the empty dining table. The Angels were surveying the area for everyone's safety and trying to track down the witch but could no longer feel her presence. Apparently the manor was built over an underground dungeon and Henry had probably ended up there through connecting sewer pipes over the years; the Devildoms sewage system was expansive and joined through all 7 layers.

Levi had begged and pleaded with the Demon Prince and Lucifer to leave Henry 1.0 alone and thankfully they took pity on him, the snake had grown so large due to ingesting rats plagued with remnants of potions that had been flushed down the sinks, toilets and filtration systems over the many many years.

“Are you okay?” Mammon swirled his glass in his hand, and passed his brother another, they had a lot to talk about tonight. 

“I-I think so..I just..I wish I’d been quicker you know? When Helene mentioned her powers I should’ve thrown Em out of that room..and maybe she would’ve been safe.” Levi looked down at his hands, exhausted from everything and he had so many questions to ask.

“O-oi you need to stop beating yourself up! She’s fine! She’s just a little shaken up and tired.”

“I-I know but..”

“Levi..you can’t blame yourself for what happened..I..I have something to tell you actually...” he took a deep breath and sighed. “Do you remember the night the House of Lamentation shook?”

“Y-yeah...sort of? It’s a bit fuzzy to me though, all I remember is Em and Beel in front of me and then they disappeared..” Levi’s mind flashed angrily at him as he tried to piece together his memories of that night, he remembered following his brother and Em through the House till they reached the model; he remembered the bitterness and the rage he felt seeing them so close together and intimate but as soon as they were engulfed into that white light it was like a force slamming his head against a wall. “Ugh..I..I can’t remember anything else.”

“Well that night..” Mammon darted his eyes around before continuing to ensure Lucifer was nowhere in the vicinity. “That night Lucifer tried to kill Luke, I made the stupid mistake of callin’ Em and told her to get down to the underground tomb..” he hung his head in shame “I..I dunno what I was thinkin’ sending her down there..”

“What the hell is wrong with you! You sent a human girl, unprotected down to that place...knowing Lucifer was on a rampage?” Levi felt anger rising within him but the drink had thankfully for Mammons sake, dulled the powers from festering to the surface.

_Mammon I swear to Mephisto if you don't stop talking you won't have a throat left to finish your drink._

“Ya, Ya I know just- just listen alright!” Mammon took another sip of wine. “Em stood up to Lucifer down there...and he-he tried to kill her Levi, but..she stepped out in front of everyone! Like she was wantin’ it! And then right before the blast hit her I dunno how but I’m thankful for it, Diavolo appeared and took the hit himself.”

“W-what? Em..threw herself into that?” Levi couldn’t believe what he was hearing. “How the hell did Diavolo know about this all? Did someone call him?” as those words left his lips he was hit by another pang inside his mind.

  
“Ya..she did.” Mammon bit his lip. “I haven’t got a clue how Diavolo knew what was happenin’ down there but..I think tonight she did the same thing, you know as well as I do Asmo wouldn’t let anything happen to her, not with how he fawns over her now. Nah, I’m tellin’ you she probably pushed him out of the way and took that spike herself.” He slammed another bottle of wine down and scratched his chin in deep thought.

“N-no I don’t believe you, Em wouldn’t do something like that.” Levi’s eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Em knew the brothers were immortal and were incredibly hard to kill, Lucifer's blast would’ve wounded them of course but they wouldn’t have died.

“Actually..Mammons telling the truth.” Levi snapped his head up and saw Beel frowning down at him, holding a plate of cheeseburgers. The gluttonous brother sighed and joined them at the table. “Why do you think I made that..pact with her Levi?” he cringed “I wanted to make sure she’d call me if anything like that happened again, so I could protect her.”

The purple haired brother's eyes narrowed as he turned back to Mammon.“B-but what about Mammon? You have a pact with her too and you were right in front of her, why didn’t you help!” 

“B-because Lucifer scares the shit outta me...I hid behind a pillar alright! I’m not proud of it but..”

That was the last straw, Levi sprang up out of his chair and grabbed Mammon by the collar on his shirt. “You...you led her down to her doom and you just stood and watched!?” a purple aura radiated from him and his fingers shifted into black claws.

Beel leapt out of his own chair and restrained Levi, pulling him back; crushing him slightly under his grip. 

“Get off me! Both of you! What the hell were you thinking! Why didn’t you tell me about this sooner?!” He kicked and flailed in his stronger brother's arms, there was nothing he wanted more right now than to leap at Mammon and beat him bloody.

“We weren’t, okay! You need to calm down Levi..I don’t want to have to knock you out like last time!” 

“Eh last time? ..wait is this about your fight the followin’ day? YOU STILL HAVEN’T TOLD US WHAT HAPPENED!” Now Mammon was on Levi and Beel was struggling to keep them both restrained, he closed his eyes and sighed as the Avatar of Greed yanked Levi’s shirt. “Well! I told you what happened that night so you’ve gotta tell me..what the hell were yas fightin’ about!”

Suddenly Levi stopped struggling in Beels arms and he grimaced, mulling it over in his mind.

_Ugh he’s right, Lucifer would have all of our heads if he knew Mammon spilled but I can’t tell him..he’s close with Em and he can’t keep secrets and Em..oh jeez Em! Why..why would you risk your life like that!_

_My head...everytime I think about that night, why does it feel like a bad hangover._

“I’m sorry Mammon...I can’t say anything.” Beel winced and looked down at Levi who had just lost himself in his thoughts, he relaxed the grip around his brother as he sensed the anger dissipating.  
  
Mammon sighed, looking disappointed and hurt. “I-I thought we were all brothers ya know, that we could trust each other but..the secrets around here just seem to keep pilin’ up. First Lucifer with all of his secrets and Diavolo...Belphie..Lilith...what the hell happened to us?” He chugged the last of his wine down and set it down hard against the table. “Fine. ya won’t say anythin’ I get it Beel. Levi...I know we don’t always see eye to eye and I really am sorry for what I said to ya on the movie night but..do you really think so little of me that ya can't talk to me anymore?”

Levi held his head in his hands, unsure of what to say or do. Mammon had entrusted him with the confidential knowledge, it would be a scummy move to not tell him anything now. “Fine...but Mammon I swear to you right now, if you speak a word about this to anyone I will obliterate you, tear you into a billion pieces and I will snap Goldie in half so you can never use her again. Are we clear?”

_He knew about Nate and he kept that secret...maybe if it’s important enough he won’t blab. Ugh well...they had to find out eventually._

Mammon said nothing but nodded, stunned slightly that Levi had listened and taken his feelings into consideration. Beel also looked shocked, he knew as well as Leviathan that Mammon couldn’t be trusted with secrets. 

Levi poured himself the remaining drops of alcohol and sat back down, his head shrinking into his chest as he prepared his choice of words. “Beel came to see me the morning after that must have happened, he came to….ugh...I..I also pranked Em, Mammon. I got jealous at the thought you’d made a move on her and got a kiss on the forehead and my pathetic virgin brain thought I could one up you; so I told her you had to kiss a demon on the cheek...and then Beel told me about them kissing on the lips and ....” He felt his ears burning. “I lost it. Big time. When Beel told me they kissed on the lips I saw nothing but red, I was...sooooo angry and would’ve tore the entire House apart if he hadn’t have knocked me out.”

“Ah…” Mammon nodded, he had suspected this for a long time but it was now coming to light; that he was correct, he said nothing more and wanted to hear it directly from the demon's mouth.

Levi took another deep breath and felt his voice trembling. “When I woke up, Beel asked me a question...and...that’s what started..everything.”

“What question? What do you mean everythin'? Beel?” Mammon tilted his head and folded his arms, taking note of Beels pout and unwillingness to look either of them in the eyes.

“He asked me..if...if I had feelings for her. And...I do. But I didn’t cope well okay? I was terrified of how I felt so I lost my cool again and then when Beel left I..Ooogled everything.” he threw his hands on his face in embarrassment and then locked eyes with Mammon. “It took me time to come to terms with caring for someone more than myself and wanting..more in my pathetic existence but....I can admit it to myself now, I’m in love with her. T-that’s why I acted that way to everyone, why I tried pushing her away, and I’m sorry, for keeping it a secret..and about the not eating thing I really didn't mean to get sick."

“Levi....” Mammon scoffed. “I’ve known for a long time ya know. I may look stupid but it’s so freakin' obvious.” he sighed and laughed “Do you remember the movie night? When me and Solomon passed out?”

_Why are you laughing? Do you have ANY idea how hard it was for me to tell you that!_

“Y-yeah?”

“I dunno what time it was but..I woke up and saw you two together having fun, you were on the Zwitch so ya must have been playin a game and I was about to tease ya but I saw the way you kept lookin’ at her. Hell even before then, I saw ya outside her room that time with that keyring in your hand, you’d tried to give it to her hadn’t ya? And another thing, you stopped talkin' to Em the day after her and Beel kissed...even I thought that was suspicious.”

“Y-you saw that?” Levi grimaced, he thought he’d been quick enough with his gamer reflexes and he hadn't even noticed Mammon regain consciousness on TSL night. "Oh. Y-you have a point."

“You really underestimate the great Mammon” he beamed for a second and turned back to a serious tone. “I just don’t understand why ya felt the need to hide this from everyone...the truth is I...I have a crush on her too but I know she doesn’t see me like that… ...that’s why I gave ya hell about bein’ a virgin alright? I was jealous..” 

Beel couldn't help but laugh. "Pfff yeah everyone knows about _your_ crush on her, you're even more obvious than Levi!"

Mammon blushed slightly and coughed to bring himself back to the present.”So! what’s keepin’ you from tellin’ her? She’s a popular girl Levi, even Solomon seems to have a thing for her...and I hate to remind ya but..she’s not here forever.”

The redhaired brother snapped his attention back to Levi. “I’ve asked him the same thing, multiple times.. What’s holdin you back bro?”

A voice called out from behind them and footsteps could be heard getting closer, they had all forgotten their hushed voices.

“Yes Levi...what’s holding you back?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you don't mind the rewriting of that snake maze plot. I wasn't a fan of it in the game and thought it was way too easily solved so I spiced it up a bit! 
> 
> My apologies for that eeeeeevil cliffhanger, who do you think it is ;)


	38. Boiling Point

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot of talking.

“You three really need to keep your voices down.” The figure revealed itself, it was their younger brother Satan looking particularly intrigued at the conversation they’d been having.

“S-satan? How long have ya been there haha, we were just uhhhh... “Mammon bit his lip and cringed, looking at Levi with an apologetic face. 

Beel said nothing but smiled awkwardly, praying that somehow in astronomical odds that Satan had only heard the last sentence of their conversation.

Levi had initially froze in horror, thinking it had been Solomon or god forbid Lucifer but he was tired of all of these secrets wearing him down, and it seemed like the other brothers had been affected too by what Mammon had said.

_There’s no way in hell I can wriggle out of this one._

Levi slowly lifted his head and faced his blonde haired brother who was raising his eyebrow awaiting some sort of subject change or awkward internet slang, but there was none.

“Ugh..Satan. How much did you hear?” Levi grimaced.

“I believe I stepped foot into the hall just as you were about to tear Mammon's throat out” he smirked. “Which I wouldn’t have minded seeing..” The blonde haired sibling took a seat on the empty chair next to them and scooted in closer. “I wasn’t trying to overhear you know, I simply needed a drink after the events of tonight.. But Levi..answer the question..what is holding you back?”

“Ehh Satan shouldn’t you be..ya know a little more shocked?”

“Should I? I’ve suspected for quite awhile our brothers' feelings went way past friendship for Em.” he sighed. “I did want to corner you a little at the party a few weeks ago but well, we kept getting interrupted...”

“A-ah..I did think it was weird how you kept mentioning Ruri-chan.” Levi ruffled his bangs nervously before he continued. “ To answer everyone's question, I’m struggling to find a reason TO tell her… Em is clearly not over Nate, I’m immortal..she’s human, she’s leaving, she said she doesn’t feel that way about anyone right now and wouldn’t know how to handle it..so that’s what’s holding me back...and then on top of it all I’ve got problems like Solomon.” he slammed his head against the table in defeat. 

_Plus I just found out she tried to...I knew she was depressed and she has hinted about it in the past..._

_I just didn’t want to believe her..._

Mammon furrowed his brow, feeling rather guilty and ashamed for how he’d teased his brother. “Wow..I-I’m sorry Levi, I didn’t realize how much you had on ya shoulders.”

Levi sighed as he looked up at them all. “Hah yeah...being in love isn’t as fun as I thought it’d be…”he smiled weakly as his brothers all gave him concerned and sympathetic looks. “I give it a 2/10, wouldn’t recommend it unless she felt the same.”

“Levi... but she might! what about that kiss?” Beel shrugged, asking innocently; completely forgetting the other two demons didn't know anything about it. He thought about the time with Em in Hells Kitchen and threw his head back in hesitation when he remembered he couldn't breathe a word of it to his brothers.

“Eh Em kissed ya??” Mammons pupils shrank and his mouth flew open in shock. She hadn’t told him anything about a kiss before and he couldn’t help but feel a little hurt.

_NOT SO LOUD!_

Just before Levi could open his own mouth, his brother beat him to it.

“Mammon, voice! Do you want the entire manor to find out?” Satan facepalmed, though he hadn’t been expecting mention of a kiss. "But what's this about a kiss?"

“Ugh...no she apologized for that” Levi’s eyes darted between his brother's reactions, Satan raised his eyebrows and Mammon looked as if someone had told him his credit card had expired.

“She apologized for kissing you?” Satan folded his arms, baffled by the notion.

“It was only on the cheek...but yeah, she said she was sorry and that she didn’t know why she did it? I mean she was drunk...and the same day she also apologized for lumping me in with Nate all the time.”

“Whaaaaaat?” Mammon was stunned, it sounded like Em hadn’t told him anything about comparing Levi with Nate all the time; which shocked Levi as well. 

He sighed and told the brothers everything leading up to the current day; even his breakdown the night of the party.

Beel started to tear up” Levi...is that really how you feel?”

“Ugh Beel don’t..don’t look at me like that.” Levi winced in pain, he hadn’t meant to upset or offend his brothers; he was just laying everything out in the open for the first time in his long life.

“You know that’s not true though right? Me and Belphie loved spending time with you...you were never a last resort.” His gluttonous brother looked crestfallen, Beel knew Levi had social awkwardness but he didn’t realize he’d felt so lonely.

Levi looked at his brother with a somber smile. 

Satan chewed on the corner of his mouth in deep thought. “..I think you should tell her, especially due to all of those reasons.”

“Eh?! Satan didn’t ya just hear what he said?” Mammon threw a look of bewilderment at his blonde haired brother. 

“I did...but Levi, you’d surely regret not being able to tell her your feelings.” Satan looked down wistfully at his drink as he spoke. “I’ve lived with my own regret for hundreds of years now.” but then he suddenly snapped his head back up and smiled.

“Satan...what sort of regrets?” Beel pouted sympathetically. He had a feeling this had something to do with a certain red haired demoness that Satan would make silly excuses to go visit at the Library most days.

“Just, regrets.” Satan shrugged and then turned away to look at the bar. “Anyway I think I’d better turn in for the night. It’s getting late...I’ll see you all tomorrow, oh and Levi? Your secret is safe with me..” before anyone could stop him he rose from his chair and paced out of the room.

“Is it just me or was Satan a little..depressed?” Mammon scratched his head as he watched his bookworm brother fade into the dark hallway.

“Yeah..I have a feeling he’s talking about Abbadon..ugh.. I- can we change the subject guys? Just for a bit...” Levi held his head in his hands; he was drunk, depressed and wanted nothing more than to crawl into bed right now.

_I just want this day to be over._

_I want to see her...if all that crap with the witch hadn't happened we would’ve been watching animé together by now._

_I forgot to ask the others about Asmo’s pact with Solomon..and what he did to get us out of there._

Beel and Mammon looked at Levi sympathetically, he was right they'd talked about Em enough tonight; and it looked like Levi had a lot of things to think about.

"Sure bro! Anything else you wanna talk about?"

Levi chewed on the inside of his cheek for a moment. "Actually yeah...did you two know Asmodeus had a pact with Solomon?"

The two brothers shook their heads and Mammon furrowed his brow. "No, I did think it was strange; here's something even stranger now I think about it; ya know I'm friends with the owners of The Fall? Well I was talkin to them the other day and apparently Solomon's quite popular in there...got his own lil crew."

"Wait seriously? Solomon...in a nightclub? I'm sorry Mammon I just can't picture it, are you sure we're talkin about Merlins abomination Solomon?" Levi darted his eyes back and forth around the room to make sure no-one else had crept up on them, the sorcerer would most definitely carry out that threat from earlier if he'd heard that remark.

"Merlins abomination? hahahah wow Levi..ya..ya don't hold back do ya!" Mammon chortled and wiped a stray tear from his eye. "But no in all seriousness it was definitely him! The description was dead on!" 

"Maybe Solomon just wants to live a little..? I don't get why it's so weird..." Beel pouted, he liked the sorcerer and assumed Mammon and Levi were just ripping on him due to jealousy.

"When you say crew..?" 

"That's all they told me sorry guys! Just that he goes there a lot and buys random drinks and rounds for everyone..another rich guy I need to get on my side by the sounds of it." Mammon chewed on his nails thinking of a plan.

_Solomon...buying drinks for random demons...why is Solomon always trying to get people drunk? First Em, then me...and now..complete strangers? I'm getting worried now._

"Levi what's up bro? you look worried" Beel noticed Levi had gotten lost with his thoughts after Mammon had brought that to light. 

"I...I am worried. Don't you guys remember a few months ago? Em and Solomon were drinking together... and then..at Diavolo's party it was like he was trying to get me drunk too, and now you're telling me he's buying complete strangers alcohol? It's almost like he's upto something, the more I learn about him guys, the more I don't trust him."

Mammons eyes lit up with clarity. "Hey yeah..that's a damned good point! I still don't know what the hell she was thinkin'! You know I asked her about that and she said she just grabbed the glass and drank it!" he clenched his fists. "Levi I swear if ya ever hook up, don't let her do stupid stuff like that!" 

Levi blushed slightly at the comment but now he really was worried. "Y-you don't think..Solomon drugged her do you? It..It did cross my mind."

Beel sighed. "Levi..I know you don't trust him and to be honest after hearing that he is a little shady, but Solomon cares about Em, I don't think he'd do something like that. Remember what I told you bro, you need to control that jealousy.." he played with his hands nervously. "I'm sorry, I just...I don't want to jump to conclusions."

 _"_ Yeah..as much as I hate to agree, Beels right. We don't have enough evidence on the guy! 

_"_ Ugh..yeah...you're right." A lightbulb flashed inside Levi's mind. "So maybe we get evidence? Mammon after the trip is over you could go to The Fall undercover, find out what he's doing!" 

"Well I would but..I'm kinda broke."

"I'll give you money, infact I'll pay for your drinks for one night!"

"Oh you're gonna regret sayin' that." Mammon winked and laughed menacingly.

"Well if he IS upto something then...it's worth it if Em will be safe." Levi sighed wistfully, he wanted nothing more than to protect her and if it meant losing out on a few hundred grimm then that was ok with him.

As if Beel could read Levi's mind he brought up a suggestion. "Or we could all go? The Fall is a big place.."

The shut-in thought about it for a moment. "If we all went then I think it'd be more dangerous, Solomon isn't stupid; if he caught sight of me or you there he'd know we were spying on him; whereas Mammon..it's more believable with you." 

"Ah yeah now that is a good point! Nice one Levi you always did have the smarts" the white haired brother clicked his finger in agreement. Everyone talked about the plan and finished their drinks. Mammon would take photos on his DDD discreetly of what demons Solomon was hanging around with, and if he could he'd talk to a few of them about the sorcerer.

"But you can't ask anything too weird okay! You don't want them knowing you're spying on him!" 

Mammon smirked."Gotcha, I'll keep it light." 

"Ugh well, I think I've hit past my limit with the drinking so..I'm gonna head back to our room. Are you coming Beel?"

"I'll stay here with Mammon for a little longer, you go ahead bro." Beel turned to Mammon as if he was asking for permission.

The purple haired demon nodded and stood up, stumbling a little as the drink hit him.

“Oi! Levi..try not to overthink it too much. To be honest with ya I agree with Satan, it’s gonna hurt even more if you let her leave without tellin’ her. Hell I should know...I'm not gonna tell her...” Mammon swished his drink around thoughtfully. “Don’t get lost in ya own head, we’re all here for ya. And I won’t say anythin’ if you don't”

“Okay.. see you guys tomorrow.”

* * *

He meandered down the corridor and across the manor and found himself outside Ems room once more. Burning a hole into it, willing himself the courage to knock.

_She’s probably asleep… I’ll text her in the morning so I don’t wake her up._

As he started to creep back away he heard a high pitched sound from the other side of the door. Remembering the misunderstanding from earlier that day he wasted no time and threw his ear to the oak, and heard two voices laughing.

"Sorry Solomon, I didn't mean to bring it up, it was just so funny!" Em was laughing quite loudly on the other side of the door.

"No, no it's fine! I just wish you hadn't remembered something so embarrassing!" Solomon chuckled, sounding a little irritated.

_She...she's awake_

_Well she doesn't sound depressed!_

Levi threw his hand in his pocket and glanced down at his DDD. He hadn't had any missed messages from her, a pang of jealousy hit him yet again. He couldn't help feel a little peeved that she hadn't even bothered to text him after almost dying from blood loss. Unfortunately the alcohol along with the talk he'd had with his brothers wasn't helping him and he felt the urge to do something reckless.

He knocked on the door, loud enough to startle them; and pressed his ear to the door in anticipation.

"Hang on a sec Solomon the door.."

"Oh don't worry about it Em, I'll get it!" 

Levi threw his head away from the door and composed himself the best he could as he came face to face with his rival yet again.

"Oh...Leviathan, it's you." Solomon groaned as he spat out his words. "Can we help you?"

Em sprang to her feet, albeit a little awkwardly "H-huh Levi?" she beamed as she saw the otaku demon. "LEVI! COME IN!"

His head whipped around the door and he saw two empty glasses on her nightstand, his eyes turned towards the human girl barely able to stand with suspicion, and then he felt rage.

_He's getting her drunk again! I knew he was upto something!_

Solomon must have sensed the hostility towards him and held his arm out as a protective barrier between Em and himself. "Leviathan..?" 

Levi glared at the sorcerer and his lip twisted into a snarl. "What the hell do you think you're doing? You're trying to get her drunk again aren't you? I swear if you've hurt her or done anything I'll rip that pretty little head of yours clean off."

"Leviathan, I know this looks bad but you need to calm down; I take responsibility on the alcohol though it was my idea but only because of her le-"

"So you admit you're just trying to get her drunk? What do you want with her...is it a fetish? Are you trying to get her to sleep with you?" Feeling his temper getting worse he started to bite down on his tongue to subdue his demonic powers, he was starting to sober up now which made them fester more easily to the surface.

"N-no! Don't be ridiculous!" Solomon blushed violently and stared at Levi in second-hand embarrassment. "I think you need to leave."

_Wow trying to send me away so you can have your way with her..._

"No YOU need to leave..I can't believe you're trying to hit on her after what happened!" Horns started sprouting out of Levi's hair.

"Why are you shouting?" she pouted dramatically, trying to get past the sorcerers arm. Levi wasn't aware but the moment she'd woken up she had intended to message him but then Solomon knocked on the door and she'd completely forgotten about it so the fact he was here now cheered her up in her drunken state.

"Em go back inside, I just need to have a little chat with Leviathan..."

"Awwh but...aren't you joining us Levi?" She stood on her tiptoes to get a look and saw the demons horns poking out, throwing her out of her tipsy state instantly. "L-levi... what's wrong?"

Before she could get another word in Solomon closed the door over as he stepped into the hallway. He stood as a barrier against the door so Em couldn't come rushing out and spoke in a hushed tone. _"Leviathan, I think you need to calm down. I came here to heal her leg properly after my powers had been restored. Yes I brought wine, but only to dull the pain! Do you not realize how ridiculous you're being right now? How dangerous you are!"_ Solomon gestured towards the coral horns on his head, and the scales trailing down his neck.

_I don't trust him, hes right though..I do need to calm down....ugh._

"I-is that really true?"

 _"Yes! Ask her yourself! Ah but not now, you need to go to bed_." The sorcerer lifted one arm up and flicked his wrist; producing flames. _"If you don't leave, I'll be forced to use my magic on you..and I'm giving you a chance as..thanks for saving my life earlier._ " he averted his gaze. " _You could have let me die..but you didn't"_

"Fine. but if you're lying..." Levi spat out air and relaxed his body, stumbling awkwardly down the corridor.

"I swear on my soul I'm not lying to you..."Solomon sighed and held his face in his hand as he opened the door, knowing he wasn't getting anywhere with the Avatar of Envy. "Em, help me out here please."

The human girl tilted her head in confusion and anxiously stepped out of the room looking over at Levi. "Help you out with what, what's going on?"

"Please tell Leviathan why I'm here with you right now, in detail."

"O-oh..well you came to heal my leg, but because the wound was so deep it still stings a lot...so you brought wine to help dull it..and sorry Levi..I- I completely forgot to finish texting you!" her eyes widened in realization and she ran back into the room to grab her DDD. 

_Oh...I'm an idiot. UGH._

Solomon crossed his arms, and narrowed his eyes as he whispered. " _Well...?_ " he looked at Levi with contempt. " _Leviathan I'm saying this as Ems friend, you need to take a step back and really think about what you're doing_."

_"W-what do you mean?"_

The sorcerer shifted his eyes to Em who was still trying to find her phone. _"I mean..you need to realize you and Em are too different. Learn your place, she doesn't belong to you, if she wants to get drunk or hang out with another man who are you stop her?_ "

_Learn my place? Are you trying to piss me off again_

_"I-I..don't know what you're talking about."_

_She can hang around other guys, I just don't trust you._

"Sorry! my phone had fallen down the side of the bed, but I finally sent that te-" Em stepped back out to the awkward atmosphere and frowned, Levi and Solomon were just glaring at eachother, and her own temperature had reached boiling point. "WILL YOU TWO PLEASE STOP! You're worse than imps! Solomon I am SICK of you insulting Levi to my face all the time, he is my best friend and if you don't get that t-then there's the door" she awkwardly pointed behind her, hoping they wouldn't burst out laughing at her trying to sound forceful. "And Levi..I have no idea what you have against Solomon but we work together and..he was there for me when...when you couldn't be." 

Em took a deep breath as she continued her outburst. "And Solomon I'm flattered I really am, but can you be a little more mindful of..personal space? I understand it might be a culture thing or a Bulgarian custom but it makes me uneasy"

_Wow...its been awhile since she lost her temper like this, I'm just glad most of it wasn't directed at me... but what did she mean Bulgarian custom?_

Em felt a little more confident now and grabbed Solomons hand, holding it out to Levi. "Can we just all be friends again? I miss hanging out with BOTH of you."

_Em I know you mean well but..after what he's just said to me..._

_No._

Solomon stared at her incredulously, his mouth agape slightly before he composed himself."Y-you're right Em...I'm sorry if I overstepped and... please accept my apologies.... **Levi**." He spat out Levi's name, making it plainly obvious to the demon he was only trying to keep up appearances with Em, yet he extended his arm out for a handshake.

The raven haired girl smiled appreciatively at Solomon and then snapped her head to face Levi expectantly. "L-levi?" 

Levi grimaced as he saw her happy expression, so full of joy and innocence; then his eyes shifted to the Sorcerer he looked about as enthusiastic as himself about the idea; in the end he decided to go along with it and reluctantly shook Solomons hand. "Yeah me too."

_This is for you Em._

_But I'm still going to get to the bottom of what this guy is up to._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh Em..I know you mean well but :|


	39. Overheard

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Em learns a little about Solomon. Levi is hungover.

Ems POV 

Em: Hey I just wanted to apologize for earlier, I didn’t mean to shout at you or Solomon :( 

Em: T_T I’m so sorry

Leviathan: Don’t worry about it :)

Leviathan: Anyway I’ll see you tomorrow, I’m gonna call it an early night before I pass out ^^’

Em: Oh okay, good night! 

Leviathan: :) goodnight

“Ugh, don’t worry? but how can I not... It’s only 9pm” Em muttered whilst looking down at her DDD in concern. He’d just left along with the sorcerer but she couldn’t help but feel that something didn’t sit right; she’d offered for Levi to stay for a while and keep her company but he had excused himself on the basis he was tired.

_I mean, I guess I can’t blame him; a lot did happen today..ugh, I regret drinking with Solomon now._

Em had actually enjoyed her evening with the sorcerer and they had a lot of fun discussing books, current year events from the human realm; although Solomon claimed he was a bit of a shut in himself and didn’t really keep tabs on things like politics so naturally the conversation mostly devolved back to hobbies,work and books.

And despite her outburst she did still enjoy his company; when he wasn’t overly flirty or imposing on her personal space Solomon could be rather charming and he exuded a confident, sophisticated aura.

_I need to apologize to him too_

Em: Hey, I’m really sorry about earlier :( 

Solomon: Don’t worry about it! I'll admit sometimes I can get a little carried away, but that’s only because you’re too cute ;)

Em grimaced, it just didn't have the same charm as when Levi had said it.

Em: Oh ^^;;

Solomon: When someone compliments you Em, just thank them! 

Solomon: Something tells me you don’t believe me :(

Em: Aha sorry I just..I'm not used to it

Em: Thank you ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Solomon: I've said it before but you're a strange girl Em!

Solomon: Not in a bad way :)

Solomon: You're very humble.

Em: Aha sorry! Blame my British upbringing ^^

Solomon: Haha! I'd like to know more about your heritage sometime, perhaps tomorrow evening?

Em: Ahh sure! Anyway I'll let you get some sleep, you drank way more than me :)

Solomon: Thank you! I had fun tonight apart from when Levi barged in hahah

Em: Well..it's a shame he couldn't have joined us right?

Solomon: Indeed.

Solomon: I'll see you in the morning, sweet dreams!

Just as she was logging off the door behind her opened and a heavenly aura washed over her.

“Oh Em, I didn’t wake you, did I?” It was Simeon, finally back from his and Luke's investigation.

“Oh hello Simeon, no no I’ve been awake for a while now!” she noted that the angel looked a little annoyed. “How did your search go?”

Simeon sighed but smiled reassuringly at her as he took a seat on his mattress. “Well, we searched the dungeon high and low; around the grounds and even found an old shack just to the north of here but it’s like Helenes presence has just disappeared into thin air and….I’m a little anxious, Em can you tell me what you remember; what did Solomon do exactly?”

Em clenched her eyes shut in concentration.“I’m afraid it’s a bit of a blur to me...all I remember is that he pulled out this black crystal that looked a little like obsidian? He chanted something in latin and then drew a circle on the ground.”

“Hmmmm...can you remember any of the latin? What happened just before you were teleported back to the manor? Sorry for all these questions, I just..want to be sure.”

“N-no it’s fine I’m just sorry I can't be of much help...I don’t remember much of the latin but something sounded like spirits? or ..spiritus?” Upon hearing the word Simeons eyes widened in shock.

“Are you sure that’s what you heard?” He narrowed his eyes slightly in disbelief and he scratched his chin in deep thought.

“Yeah that’s about the only thing I could understand...i-is Solomon in trouble for something?”

“I’m afraid I can’t divulge that information, Em.” Simeon observed the aura around the human girl, from what he could see she wasn’t lying and was genuinely concerned for her friend. Suddenly he smiled at her. “You should get some rest, we’ve got a big day planned tomorrow and you’ll need all your strength.” 

Suddenly there was a knock at the door and a familiar voice rang out. “Simeon it’s me, Barbatos. Have you got a moment?”

Simeon perked up and opened the door, revealing the green haired demon butler who smiled softly at Em. “Ah Em, so sorry if I’m keeping you up.. I just needed to talk to Simeon about something.” he gestured towards the hall.

“Oh n-no it’s fine, I was just about to head to sleep! Have a good evening Barbatos, and Simeon I’ll see you in the morning!” 

The angel bid her goodnight and stepped out into the hall, closing the door over on himself and the butler.

_I’m not proud of this but..it might be about Solomon..maybe he’s getting sent back to the human realm?! Wait..does that mean I’ll be sent back too?_

Em crept quietly like a mouse towards the door and grabbed her empty wine glass from earlier, holding it up against the oak, listening intently. The voices were just about audible so they must have moved further down the corridor.

“ _My apologies for not coming forward earlier, there was quite the commotion and I was required in the kitchens, it is a terrible shame that the feast had to be cancelled.”_ Barbatos tutted.

_“Oh not at all, it’s understandable, you are in charge of all of the staff- so, what seems to be the problem, Barbatos?”_

_Okay I feel really guilty about listening in now.._

_“Ah I just wanted to..confess a major error on my part with Solomon. I wanted to help him with his studies, it’s completely my fault and I didn’t think he’d actually use it…”_ Barbatos sighed.

_“What sort of stone was it that he used? Em told me it was Obsidian?”_

The demon butler chortled. “Ah _well, she’s close. It’s actually called Obsidite. The crystal absorbs lost souls, I acquired one on my travels but- I didn’t think Solomon would take such an interest.”_

 _“Very well...so you’re taking full responsibility for his actions this evening?”_ Simeon paused for a moment. _“Have you told Lord Diavolo of this?”_

_“Yes, he is currently thinking of a worthy punishment for my utter foolishness. He also requests that Solomon is kept away from Necromancy for the time being...until he learns how to use it in a positive way at the very least.”_

_N-necromancy?!_

_“It might just be that I’m an Angel but, how exactly can something as twisted as Necromancy be used in a positive light?”_ Simeon pried.

_“Oh? Well in the human realm mediums contact the lost souls and help bring inner peace to those troubled or unable to move on. I suppose it is a little strange to beings as pure as yourself.”_

_“Hmmm, that is..peculiar. Perhaps I need to read up on it more, forgive me but I assumed necromancy was always something frowned upon and well, ghosts aren’t something that exist in our realm.”_ Simeon trailed off as he got lost in his thoughts.

 _“It’s quite alright Simeon. Times have changed since you last left the Celestial Realm”_ Barbatos chuckled. _“Anyway I won’t keep you any longer, I’m glad this issue has been cleared up.”_

 _“Yes, for the time being, I won’t report this to Michael but..I do think we need to keep a close eye on Solomon and see to it that he receives the proper education regarding this subject.”_ Simeon exhaled deeply. “ _May I ask..is there a reason for his interest in Necromancy?”_

Barbatos breath hitched slightly as he was caught off guard, his tone lowered to barely a whisper as Em pushed her ear as far as she could into the bottom of the glass. “ _Yes, it’s quite tragic...I don’t know if it’s my place to tell you this but Solomon lost his mother at a very young age.”_

_Oh no..poor Solomon...that must be why he doesn’t want to talk about himself._

_I feel terrible that I didn’t know..._

_“Ah, my deepest apologies for asking about something so sensitive. I suppose that makes sense ..very well. I’ll head back to my room now, Lord Diavolo has assured me the scavenger hunt is still happening at the very least.”_

_“Evening guys, Barbatos what are you doing here~”_

_Oh Asmodeus is finally back! I wonder where he disappeared to?_

“ _Asmodeus it’s good to see you, we must get a drink together again sometime.”_ The demon butler's voice began to grow distant as he walked away.

 _“Oh! Em’s asleep so please be quiet as you go in..”_ Simeon said.

_I-I'd better get in bed, if they catch me I’m dead._

Em threw the glass back down where it was and leapt into the bed at a record speed, luckily they were far enough down the corridor to not question the loud thump she made as her body made contact with the bed springs.

She made it just in time and hid under the covers making sure her back was turned towards the wall just as Asmodeus opened the door. He peered over at the back of her raven hair and watched her chest slowly move up and down and smiled as he slipped into his own bed.

* * *

The next morning Em was the first one to wake, Asmodeus was sound asleep in his bed with his mask over his eyes and Simeon resembled a graceful statue.

_I wonder if Levi’s awake...s-should I tell him what I heard last night? No, I don’t want to burden him, and it's not really my place._

Em dove for her DDD and her heart dropped.

_No messages...he must still be asleep._

She grabbed her clothes and took a quick shower, as she stepped out of the water and draped a towel around her Em felt herself staring into the mirror. Asmodeus had worked wonders on her natural beauty but she had slowly started wanting to enhance that beauty.

The introverted girl reached into her bag and started to experiment a little with the cheap makeup kit she’d bought from Majolish, along with her DDD and Deviltube she was able to get a decent winged eyeliner look with a burgundy lipstick.

However the girl in the mirror felt alien to her and she wasn’t sure if she liked it. Em sighed loudly and muttered to herself. “What am I doing? If I go out looking like this they’re all going to laugh!” she groaned in frustration and reached into her bag for some wipes.

“This isn’t me...” She aggressively wiped every ounce of product off her face and just settled on some face cream and got changed into a checkered shirt with denim shorts and a pair of red boots. A little embarrassed at how far up the short were too, Em felt like she’d gotten even more self conscious of her looks and appearance lately, and the shorts didn’t help as they accentuated her pear like figure.

“Ugh I’ll have to grab a pair of jeans out of the dresser.”

As she crept out of the bathroom and reached into the dresser near Asmo, unfortunately for her she heard him stir and his mask came off. “Ooooh Em, good morning! You look very cute today!”

_Oh no… there's no way he's gonna let me change out of these!_

“Uhh yeah Asmo m-morning, I was just changing into something a little more appropriate..” she lunged for the pair of black skinny jeans in the bottom drawer, that still hadn’t been fixed properly.

Asmodeus stretched and sat up, frowning at her. “Em you look great, like a juicy pear I want to sink my teeth into~” he noted the blush and uncomfortable look on her face and sighed. “Oh Em...honestly you look fine, why do you want to change? It is going to be hot today…and black skinny jeans are just going to make you sweat more~”

Em sighed and sat on the bed next to him. “I...I think I look ridiculous, I’ve always known I’ve got wider hips than some women but, it’s like recently every flaw I have is more noticeable.” she looked down at herself and cringed. “I even tried putting makeup on today...but I looked silly.” Em threw her head into her hands as tears of frustration welled up.

The demon sighed and smiled at her, scooting closer to her and putting his hand on her head. “Em, I’m sure you looked great! I think your body is beautiful but..I understand if you’re not comfortable, if you’re trying to change your look just do it in baby steps or it’s no wonder you freaked out.”

“Thank you Asmo..I don’t know what’s wrong with me lately, I never really cared for makeup but here I am spending my hard earned grimm on it.”

Asmo laughed “Well is there reason you’re wanting to put makeup on? If it’s for...someone else's sake then you should know they probably like you just as you are.”

Em rolled her eyes “I swear..if you’re talking about Solomon again” and laughed. Though inside her mind upon speaking of her friend's name she grew anxious. 

_I hope Solomons alright...I can’t let Asmo or Simeon know I overheard their talk last night though, thankfully Asmo doesn’t seem to suspect anything._

“No of course not haha! But if you’re curious..Levi’s an ass man~” he winked playfully. Em turned a dark shade of red and started stammering, about to refute that comment, but they were interrupted by an almost songbird sounding yawn beside them.

“Good morning you two, you’re very lively despite it only being..” Simeon reached for his DDD, holding it upside down. “My goodness 22:80? We’ve slept an entire day! We've missed the meetup and the feast?!” the angel leapt up out of bed and was near enough out of the door in his old fashioned looking pyjamas.

“Uhhh Simeon..” Em giggled whilst walking over to him and flipped the phone in his hand. “It’s 08:22am..” She couldn’t help but laugh at how panicked the normally calm angel looked, it had certainly cheered her up.  
  
Simeon chuckled “A-ah yes, how silly of me!” he held the back of his head sheepishly.

“Oh! Em, I forgot to ask, is your leg feeling better now?” Asmodeus broke Em back out of her good mood so fast it gave her emotional whiplash. 

“S-sorry yeah it is..Solomon actually came here last night and healed it” She bit down on her lip, hoping nothing would be said about the sorcerer.

_Well not talking about him at all, would just make Simeon suspect me of eavesdropping even more right?_

“Oh I was wondering who you’d been drinking with! I mean, I assumed it was Levi but I ran into Beel and Mammon on my way back last night and they said he’d been with them.”

“O-oh, yeah actually Levi came to see me last night but well umm-” 

_Crap...do I tell them about me yelling at both of them?_

Asmodeus’ face twisted into a smirk “Oooh did something happen~ something happened didn’t it, tell me!~”

“I’m sure it’s a great story but you should probably get ready and meet everyone downstairs…” Simeon coughed and gestured towards the door. “I have to report back to Michael before I join everyone.”

“Ugh fine, but Em! I need to know what happened okay~”

“W-wait I still need to change out of these shorts!” It hit her that she’d gotten distracted, and with ten minutes before they had to be down at breakfast it didn’t give her a lot of time to finish getting ready.

End of Ems POV. 

* * *

“Levi...you okay there bro?” Beel raised an eyebrow at his purple haired brother's complexion this morning, he had dark circles under his eyes and kept squinting at the faintest sources of light. It was clear that Leviathan was hungover this morning as he’d barely said a word, not the best start to the three day trip.

“Ugh, yeah I’m fine just..just don’t talk too loudly” He winced and concentrated on the breakfast table in front of him, unsure if he could even stomach anything to eat with how bad he felt. Not to mention he’d gone to bed in a foul mood last night, even going as far as to take it out on Em.

_Ugh I was such an asshole, I guess it’s karma that I match the feeling today… I hope she’s okay._

_I couldn't even bring myself to text her good morning, ugh I'm the worst._

Levi lifted his head up as much as he could without vertigo taking hold of him and felt his blood run cold, Lucifer and Diavolo were heading towards the table, looking right at him.

_Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit. If Lucifer knows I’m hungover I’m so dead._

“Beel quick, distract them pleaaaaase” He pulled amber puppy dog eyes at his red haired brother, who just raised an eyebrow at him.

Beel sighed after a few seconds and dropped his head in defeat. “Fiiine, but you owe me!..Good thing I need to ask Diavolo about tonight's feast anyway.” he stood up sharpish and made his way over to the authority figures and diverted them towards the demon butlers. 

_Bless you Beel.. I feel like you’re constantly coming to my rescue these days._

As he walked off with the pair Levi caught sight of his other brothers, Satan and especially Mammon looked worse for wear and his white haired brother donned a pair of tinted sunglasses; an obvious tell that he'd drank too much the previous night too. Satan's face however was less telling and he just looked a little irritable, which wasn’t much of a change.

“Yo Levi…” Mammon was about to give his brother a high five and then took note he looked as rough as him. “D’ya wanna borrow a pair of my sunglasses?” he reached into his pocket and grabbed some black shades and held them out.

“Ugh..yeah actually I do.” He placed the glasses on, not even caring if he looked silly. They helped somewhat with the bright lights. As he turned his head to observe his surroundings he heard a gasp.

“Oooh Levi, you look very sexy this morning~ don’t you agree, Em?” Asmodeus elbowed the human girl. 

Levi was thankful for the glasses as his line of sight drifted straight to her legs and then..her thighs. He was practically burning a hole through Mammons glasses at the curves on her, the hangover was now a thing of the past as he drunk in her womanly figure.

_O-oh wow...n-no don’t stare. Get a grip, she’s your friend she’d be disgusted if she knew you were ogling her like this._

Em seemed a little more anxious than usual today and was hiding herself behind Asmodeus, he’d convinced her to stay in the shorts but now she felt like she was on display to the world; and the fact she was the only girl in the manor was becoming apparent, coupled with the fact Levi hadn't sent her his usual good morning text she couldn't help feel a little pertubed.

“W-what….” She peeked over from Asmodeus shoulder and couldn’t help but stare a little at Levi wearing those shades, along with his dark blue fitted shirt and black jogging pants. “...uhm” Em was at a loss for words, she had to agree with the flirtatious brother for once. Levi looked very attractive today and she felt herself getting quite clammy.

“O-oi Em, you don’t actually have to answer him” Mammon may have known Levi’s feelings towards the human girl but that didn’t stop him from acting like his rival.

_For mephisto’s sake Mammon..I was kind of wanting to hear what she was going to say…_

_Nah I’m sure she’d never think I was sexy._

“Soooo are you going to stare at him all day or are we going to sit down~” Asmodeus giggled, slightly irritated how obviously into each other the couple were.

They took a seat opposite the otaku brother, Satan and Mammon and engaged in small talk about the upcoming activity, Satan was the first to bring back the awkward topic up about Ems leg; which in turn reminded Levi of his behaviour the previous night.

“So Em, I’m glad to see your leg has fully healed; well from what I can see of it anyway. How did that happen again?” The blonde haired sibling gestured towards just under the human girl's knee where, the previous night there had been a large puncture wound.

_Wow Satan, I don’t know whether to be impressed or a little jealous, you’ve obviously been checking her out too._

“W-well umm..” Em started, the lie on the tip of her tongue whilst Asmodeus averted his gaze.

“Good morning everyone!” Diavolo stepped away from Lucifer and Beel to greet everyone in the room. “Well after the unfortunate events of yesterday we should really cancel this group retreat…but I’m not one to let a little near death experience get in the way of a good bonding experience for everyone here!” he beamed. “We’re just waiting on Barbatos to finish preparations, then you will all be sorted into teams.”

“Ehh we don’t get to choose?” Mammon pouted and glanced over at Em, who had her gaze fixed towards Levi, but unfortunately he wasn’t paying attention.

He couldn’t help but notice that a certain sorcerer was late this morning, along with the angels. Luke had overslept and was still asleep by the time he and Beel had left their room but it was awfully convenient that both of them were late, Lucifer must have sensed the others curiosity and brought up the subject on their behalf.

“Some of you may be wondering where our hosts are this morning, they’ll be joining us later today, they’re just finishing conducting their investigation” He sighed, Diavolo had kept him awake most of the night rattling on about the good old days and how beautiful he was as an angel.

_Wonder why they’re keeping Solomon again though, didn’t they already ask him things yesterday? Are they going to question us all again?_

Levi shot his gaze across the table to Em who looked oddly uncomfortable, almost worried. He shook his head and decided it wasn’t worth the brain power to be curious about that guy and was able to stomach a few pieces of toast.

He also noted that Em had barely spoken to him, sure they were surrounded by the others talking about the trip, her leg and other pleasantries but as soon as Diavolo had made the announcement she’d stopped engaging in conversation unless prompted.

“E-” Levi started.

“Em! Good morning” It was none other than the sorcerer, his face beamed as he made his way over to the demons table. Solomon was dressed in his usual cloak and black jumper and seemed to be unphased by everyone else staring at him.

“Oh Solomon, good morning…” Em winced, feeling a little awkward about last night.

“Em...you’re not still bothered about yelling at us are you? haha, honestly…” he sighed and blushed slightly as he flicked his wrist and produced a rose. “This is for you, as an apology for my behaviour”. 

_Could you be any more cringe? Also dude I’m trying to eat my breakfast here. I don’t want to bring it back up watching your cheesy ass display._

The three brothers that knew Levi’s secret all pressed their lips together in a hard line and flickered their eyes at the otaku; who was struggling to keep his composure even behind the glasses. Lucifer however looked delighted and relieved at the display of affection, if Em and Solomon became a couple it would mean less pain for his younger brother.

_Well at least with these I can glare at him and he won’t know any better._

Em hesitated and felt very uncomfortable with all of the eyes in the room on her and she couldn’t help but look towards Levi with a torn expression, but in the end she took pity on Solomon especially due to the news of his mother and she accepted the rose; unwittingly pissing Levi off even further.

_If she's accepting it does that mean she's accepting his feelings? apology my ass._

“T-thank you Solomon, this is lovely...but you didn’t have to. I should be offering you something instead aha..” she laughed nervously hoping that would be enough attention for one day as her ears grew hot.

Unfortunately Diavolo also took interest in the display. “Oooh well I never would have expected love to blossom between our human students! Very exciting!” 

_Yeah rub it in even more, thanks._

“N-no you’ve got it wrong we-” She placed the rose on the table to retort any rumours before they even got a chance to start but Solomon beat her to the punch.

“Ahaha Lord Diavolo, Em is just a friend and we had a misunderstanding, this is simply an apology present; nothing more!” he laughed nervously.

_Oh shut up! Ugh, why..why do I have to sit here and watch this NTR crap._

An unexpected saviour arrived and Barbatos coughed to make himself known. “I'm ready for the selection now Lord Diavolo.” He glanced over to Solomon and smiled innocently.

The butler reached into his pocket and produced a scroll, clearing his throat as he scanned the room. “Team 1 will be Mammon, Satan and Solomon, then Team 2 will comprise of Luke, Beel and Simeon” he turned to face Em. “And last but not least Team 3 will be Asmodeus, Em and Leviathan...now if you could all make your way into the foyer where I will disclose the rules and provide you with maps.”

_I should be happy about being in the same team as her but..._

Em smiled at him from the across the table as Asmodeus put an arm around her “Ooooh Em we’re roomies, teammates AND besties~” he caught sight of Levi’s frown. “We’re with Mr Moody too, this will be fun~”.

_Hah yeah...fun._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter that gave me some trouble, so I owe everyone an apology; we're..nearing Ems realization now and I've been holding off on it due to fear. So...its coming. fast.
> 
> NTR - Japanese acronym for Netorare which is the term for cucked :') so in a manga or anime its where the main protagonists love interest is seduced willingly or unwillingly by another.


	40. Mr Moody

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The scavenger hunt is eventful and Em freaks out.

Everyone gathered around like army troops awaiting their next mission. Em stood awkwardly with the rose from Solomon, whilst Levi glared at it through his glasses wishing it would somehow catch fire.

“Okay now that everyone is sorted into their teams can you please choose a group leader, and then they need to come and collect the coordinates.” Barbatos held up a small box full of makeshift maps.

Mammon glanced towards his oldest brother with confusion. “Ehhh Lucifer aren’t ya playing?” 

“I’d prefer to watch you all struggle dearest brother” Lucifer smirked at his younger siblings. “Diavolo and I will be observing from the sidelines, and I believe we’ll be making a wager on the best team.” he smiled smugly at the demon prince.

“Hey Lucifer, that’s not true! I actually wanted to join in..” Diavolo chuckled but pouted like a child.

“Well I wouldn’t mind being master for the day so I’ll be team captain~” Asmodeus teased. Em giggled innocently and rolled her eyes and Levi just groaned.

“Why do you get to be the leader? To be honest I’m probably the best suited for this sort of game, it’s like the clue scrolls in Runequest so lemme handle it” the shut in was correct, a scavenger hunt did resemble his riddles in his online MMO. Asmodeus tutted but Em chimed in to back her friend up.

“Actually yeah Levi’s right, plus he’s probably smarter than both of us combined Asmo” she beamed at Levi who said nothing in response to the compliment, he was still mad about Solomon's rose.

_I knew it, he’s mad at me_

“Ugh fiiine, I guess Levi’s in charge for once then~” Asmodeus hung his head in disappointment. 

“We’ll wait outside for you~”. He linked arms with Em and they both stepped outside of the main gate, joined by Beel, Mammon, Solomon and Luke.

“Em! I’m sorry you’re stuck with two demons..if they do anything weird let me know and I’ll smite them good!” Luke barked at her protectively.

“Hey you’re with Levi though, that’s great! He’s always been really good at these sorts of things!” Beel beamed, he was happy for his brother to be in the same team as her as it gave him less things to be jealous about.

“Oh I’ll be fine t-thanks Luke” she smiled awkwardly at the cherub. Things felt a little tense around Levi right now but she believed it was her fault. “And yeah..”

_He doesn’t seem thrilled about it though..._

Asmodeus turned towards the white haired sorcerer, a little surprised he wasn’t inside grabbing a map.“Oh I would have thought you’d be a team captain Solomon~”

“Aha yeah it’s fine, Satan is definitely more suited to this sort of thing than I am, plus the man reads a LOT of books so he’s more likely to get the riddles.” The sorcerer smiled and then turned to Em again. “I’m sorry if I made a scene earlier, it wasn’t my intention.”

“Oh it’s fine hah...good luck with your team.” Em smiled innocently and then twisted into a smirk. “Because we’re gonna kick your ass!” Everyone around them snapped their heads around at the sudden display of dominance. 

Em was insanely competitive when it came to games, Levi had learned the hard way that she wouldn’t back down without a fight; which had led to a lot of bickering between the two of them as he also had a penchant for being a sore loser. 

Hearing his brothers laughing drew the otaku’s attention back outside, he couldn’t help but smile at the usually quiet girls outburst; and how shocked everyone looked.

Mammon held his sides and roared with laughter “Ahh I forgot ya hated to lose Em, well we’ll give you a fair fight we promise; no tricks” he beamed at her, throwing his hand behind his back to cross his fingers.

Unbeknown to him Levi was standing behind him, he sighed and grabbed his hand. “Mammon you’re scum you know that?” he held his brother's hand up revealing the crossed fingers to everyone else. “Well whatever, she’s right; we’re gonna crush you all to pieces.” he smiled deceptively at Solomon and the others. 

Ems competitive nature had rubbed on the demon regardless of how annoyed he felt.

“L-levi, I didn’t see ya there..eheh..I was just k-kiddin’ ya know that right?” Mammon fidgeted, he knew his envious brother was in a bad mood after Solomon's gift earlier and he was looking for a release of that hatred.

_Levi still hasn’t said a word to me today..._

  
“Em you make me all tingly when you raise your voice like that~ anyway let’s go, Levi what’s the first clue~” Asmodeus shuddered with pleasure.

Levi flicked his bangs confidently as he glanced up from the map. “I’ll tell you when we get there, I think i’ve already figured it out,” he said in a smug tone as he glanced over to the other teams looking at him with contempt and disbelief.

The three team members walked to the southeast of the manor and followed the path down to a bramble patch. Em couldn’t help but appreciate how pretty their surroundings were, not in the conventional sense but the thorns and brambles twisting up towards the sky mixed with the glow of the red moon created a beautiful sunset like appearance on the Devildom.

“The first clue was far too easy...did Barbatos actually put any effort into this?” Levi mocked as he stepped away from the broken fence, the first item on the list was an old sapphire ring hidden amongst the planks of wood.

Em chuckled as she thought of a certain greedy demon who would be more than happy to pawn the item. “He should’ve nailed the ring down to the wood, I’m sure Mammon will try to steal it; right Levi?” 

“Okay next one.” Levi ignored her and walked ahead of them.

A few hours passed and they managed to find the next three clues with great ease thanks to Levi’s love of puzzles, he was a little disappointed that the other teams hadn’t turned up even once, they were clearly all bark and no bite.

“They should be around here somewhere.....ah! There!” He grinned and took out his DDD, snapping a few photos of a blue flower, but Asmodeus huffed.

“Levi why don’t you let us take a photo? You’ve taken the credit for everything and Em was the one who figured the flower thing out!” He folded his arms in annoyance and looked behind him, the raven haired girl looked dejected and a little depressed. They’d been at this for a good portion of the day and Levi had barely said two words to her unless it was about the game.

“S-sorry...sure.” the purple haired demon sighed and put his phone back in his pocket. “Go ahead.” he stepped away and immediately started working on the next clue.

“Okay so, the last clue is _a moment captured in time, the colour of the past_ so that’s obviously a statue unless there’s any random paintings in the woods?” Levi smirked and laughed to himself.

“Wow you’re quick Levi! See I told you Asmo, he’s super smart” Em laughed, making Levi blush a little at the compliment but turned away and said nothing.

Asmodeus pouted. “I would have gotten that too, if it had said something like my beauty captured in time.”

“Well anyway let's look around, the co-ordinates match around this specific area, if we split up we should be able to find it quicker, I’m pretty sure Satan would have also gotten that obvious clue.” Levi huffed and scanned around the area, there was nothing in sight apart from crumbling stone walls, vines and dead trees. “Em you stick with Asmodeus, just in case it’s dangerous.”

“O-oh okay!” Em bit her lip and said in a slightly disappointed tone.

_I wanted to go with you though._

“Why doesn’t she go with you Levi~ is it because you’d get too distracted~” The flirty demon giggled as he picked up on her swithering.

“S-shut up, of course not; it’s because I’ll work quicker by myself!” He looked over to the dejected human girl and winced, feeling a little bad for taking his jealousy out on her.

“N-no you’re right, it’s fine!” Em faked a smile to him, but inside she was hurting. Asmodeus held her hand and pulled her in the opposite direction.

“We’ll look over here then! We’ll call you if we find it.” he called as they disappeared into a patch of brambles; the avatar of lust waited until Levi was out of sight and then instantly snapped his head towards Em. “Okay, what happened! You two are so awkward right now it’s painful to watch.”

“O-oh you can tell? Well, last night Levi knocked on the door when Solomon and I were drinking, I can’t remember what they were talking about but there was shouting. And then Solomon had me explain why he was there in the first place, then I lost my patience with both of them and yelled at them...” she cringed as she spewed out the events of the previous evening. “I immediately texted them both to apologize but..Levi has been a little weird since then, I-I think he hates me.” tears started to form in her eyes.

Asmodeus weighed up his options, he could out the fact he knew his brother's affection for the girl and go yell some more at him for letting jealousy get the better of him or he could just divert Ems attention until Levi had stopped sulking. “Em, Levi doesn’t hate you he-”

“I just feel like things have changed between us...lately I-ugh it’s nothing.” She threw her head back in frustration.

“Hey it’s not nothing! Talk to me Em, I’m here for you.” Asmodeus pouted.

“S-sorry I know I’m being stupid, I just..I miss having fun with him and the fact he’s being like this with me it’s..it’s making my chest hurt.” she held her chest and took a deep breath. “Asmodeus..can-can I ask you something...why does Levi affect me so much? Lately I feel like..everything he does changes me.”

Asmodeus’ eyes widened, now he really was struggling on what to say. He’d been waiting for this moment for weeks and it was finally the right time to tell her; only he was a little worried how she’d react. “Why? Em..isn’t it obvious?”

“H-huh?”

“Don't think about why, think about how he makes you feel. But really think about it...” he sighed and carried on searching for the statue whilst Em was bewildered at the vague answer. She leant against a nearby tree completely forgetting the scavenger hunt.

She recounted every memory that had caused her heart to flutter, sent shockwaves coursing through her body or made her smile like an idiot around him, even going as far back as their first meeting.

 _I thought he was so cute, the way he spaced out and rambled on about games._ She giggled as those memories came flooding back. 

_We’ve both changed so much since then...it’s hard to believe that was only a few months ago._

_And then as we grew closer, I noticed the little things about him; his voice cracks when he’s passionate about something, and when he smiles sometimes a fang pokes out through his lip, when he’s embarrassed he’ll throw his hand over his mouth to hide himself._

_The night of the dance is when I first started really noticing weird things happening to me, the way he held me so tight after my panic attack; he just sat there and comforted me. Nate would never have done that. I remember pressing my ear against Levi’s chest and hearing how fast his heart was beating, and then out of curiosity I placed my hand on my own chest and found they were in sync._

_And then when he opened up about how lonely he’d felt I just wanted to...hold him and tell him everything was going to be okay; that I was there for him._

_When I found myself in his room later that evening and he told me I’d have to go get some sleep, part of me really wanted to have the guts to ask if I could just sleep on his couch; to stay by his side until morning._

_But going back to the dance. I was so captured by his eyes, I don’t think I’ve ever seen such a beautiful shade of yellow in my life, I wanted to freeze us in that moment and just keep reliving us laughing and spinning around like a pair of idiots._

_But as perfect as that dance was..something was missing. When he leaned towards me and whispered in my ear..I was disappointed about something._

“Hey guys, did you find it yet?” A familiar voice called out behind her, knocking her out of her trail of thought. She snapped her head up and came face to face with those amber eyes; he’d taken the sunglasses off so he could see better. Em didn’t respond as she looked deeply into his face; searching for an answer to a question that had kept her up for many nights, and then it was like being hit by lightning as she turned her attention towards his lips.

Everything made sense to her now, the fluttery feelings that only he caused, the fact a compliment from him was worth thousands compared to anyone else.

_I...I wanted him to kiss me._

_Oh....oh god._

Em felt butterflies in her stomach as it hit her.

_I-I’m in love with him..aren’t I?_

_T-thats why I kissed him on the cheek, it wasn’t pity or a thank you! I was just too much of a coward to kiss him on the lips!_

“E-em? Are you okay?” Levi looked at her with concern, she’d been staring at him for quite some time but hadn’t said anything, but he'd heard her breath hitch. Ems pupils shrank to the size of dots as the realization hit her, and her cheeks burned.

He was about to tap her on the shoulder but she suddenly stood up, furrowed her brow at him and then turned, running as fast as her legs could carry her in any direction. Levi stood there speechless for a few seconds.

“E-em!?” He called out to her but her legs wouldn’t stop, the ground beneath her blurred and she thought her heart was going to leap out of her chest. Then after a few seconds her steps slowed until they grinded to a halt.

She leant against a dipping tree and took a few deep breaths, until she heard the sound of snapping twigs on the ground and fear took hold of her.

_Oh oh no, don’t be him please, I couldn’t handle that right now I-_

“Em..are you okay?” It was Asmodeus, he’d seen the whole thing and instinctively knew that she’d come to realize her own feelings, finally. 

“Levi’s pretty freaked out” he chuckled. “Don’t worry, I told him I’d come and get you...but...you figured it out didn’t you?”

“Oh Asmo what the hell do I do! I..I think I knew somewhere deep down but I thought I was being silly, I mean Levi is my best friend!” Em threw her head into her hands as tears threatened to fall, she was so overcome by emotions. Her heart swelled at the release of its joy, but inside her mind, anxiety and self doubt plagued her.

_He’d never feel the same way about me...I’m a human! Just a silly, stupid human girl with huge hips and a plain face._

_Plus he’s thousands of years old, he’s probably known countless women more beautiful and more confident than me._

_I guess it explains why I’ve been so conscious of my looks lately...hah._

“Em...calm down! It’s okay!” Asmodeus gripped her arms and leant down to her level. “You don’t have to do anything, well not right now. Come on, we’ll talk about this later...he’ll be getting worried.” he glanced over to the clearing, Em had run quite a few metres from his purple haired brother who had momentarily frozen before turning on his own heels after her. Luckily Asmo had been quicker on his feet.

“Y-you’re right I just...I need a moment.” She held herself up on the tree, her legs trembled as she mentally prepared herself, summoning all and any courage from within. They still had a few hours of the game and then it was the feast, but now she was terrified to be within a few feet of him. “I’m scared Asmo...how the hell am I supposed to spend the rest of the day with him I-I oh Mephisto! I ran away! He’s going to think I’m insane, w-what if he knows?!”

“Em, EM! Get a hold of yourself!” The lustful demon spoke in a raised tone and shook her gently, he knew she was flighty and a little rash; but this was taking the cake. “My brother is as oblivious as they come unless it involves 2D things. Trust me, he doesn’t know. We’ll make something up when we get back, but the longer we’re gone the harder it will be to explain...just keep calm, act natural.” he sighed, maybe it would have been better for her to have found out later in the privacy of their room, plus he still had to ask her about pushing him off the wall last night.

_He-he’s right. I feel like such an idiot._

“O-okay...but what do I do about the way he’s acting?” Em composed herself and sucked her tears in, if she cried right now it’d be even harder to explain. 

“Levi will get over it trust me, who could stay mad at you~” Asmodeus smiled at her and held his hand out. “Come on, let’s go back to Mr Moody- or should I say your man?~”

Em blushed violently, she’d have to get used to that. Knowing Asmodeus’ teasing nature he definitely wouldn’t let it go. She nodded and grabbed hold of his hand as they made their way back to the now very concerned otaku.

It was an awkward moment as Levi came back into view, he was holding out his DDD but shot his head around as soon as he heard footsteps. “Where the hell did you guys go? I was JUST about to call you!” He ran over to the human girl who instinctively threw her head down at the floor. “Em are you okay? I was so worried about you..don’t- don’t scare me like that.” 

“I-I uhh..” Em stammered.

_I can’t look at him. It’s like he’s a blinding light now._

_I..I hope you can forgive me for falling so fast for someone else, Nate._

Guilt rose up inside her, she'd wanted to move on from her childhood friend yes, but she hadn't expected this; especially so fast.

_I say that like I had a choice...they say it all the time in animé and manga. You don't get to pick who you fall for or when, it just happens._

_I just never expected it to be with Levi..._

Asmodeus smiled innocently. “Sorry Levi~ Em uhhh saw a spider on you earlier and freaked out” he shrugged as he winked at his brother “And because you were being Mr Moody she didn’t want to tell you~”

“Wait really?! EW! I-is it gone now?” Levi’s eyes shifted nervously scanning his body for any arachnids. He was just relieved that she didn’t seem to be angry at him for anything; although he felt guilty for how he’d initially acted, and bit his lip down. 

“I-I’m sorry if I seemed a little grumpy, I’m just hungover...I didn’t mean to take it out on you or anything.” he lied.

_Ohhhh, well now I really feel like an idiot! I definitely overreacted._

Em gingerly lifted her head up, still unable to look at him directly so she concentrated on his forehead. “O-oh, it’s okay...” she felt her stomach doing back flips as the sound of his laughter reached her ears. “I really am sorry about last night Levi... I-I haven’t ruined our friendship have I?”

“WHAT?! No of course you haven’t! Em, just because you yelled at me doesn’t mean we’re not friends..” He chuckled, wanting nothing more than to hug her right now but with his brother next to them that wasn’t going to happen. “A-anyway we need to find this damned statue before the others...”

“Yeah I agree, you two can flirt on your own time~” Asmodeus chimed in, he just couldn’t help himself. In his mind if he stopped teasing them then Levi would notice that something wasn’t right, plus it was too tempting.

“W-we’re not flirting!” Em and Levi said in unison as they blushed. The smaller brother laughed and walked away in the opposite direction, leaving the awkward couple alone.

“I know he just told us to stop fl- I mean to look for the statue but do you maybe want to do something later? We-we never got the chance last night..” Levi held the back of his head sheepishly as he looked down at the human girl.

“O-oh that sounds..” Realization sunk in that Em had already promised herself to someone else that evening.

_Ugh I already promised I’d hang out with Solomon later.._

Em exhaled deeply. “That sounds..wonderful. But I already said I’d hang out with Solomon....sorry!”

It took everything he had not to roll his eyes at mention of the sorcerer. Of course he’d asked her to hang out with him. “O-oh...that’s a shame.” Levi did his best to swallow his envy, he’d been an ass the entire day with her due to it and he knew it wasn’t her fault. As she’d told him last night, Solomon _had_ been there for her when Levi couldn’t be and as much as he couldn’t stand him; he had to respect the fact they were friends.

“Hey you two! Whilst you were flirting I found the statue~ and I may have charmed it so the other teams have trouble finding it, you’re welcome~”

“Asmo..I appreciate the sentiment but that’s cheating” Em sighed. “C-can you go cancel the charm?”

“Whaaaaat, but I thought you wanted to win!” Asmodeus pouted.

“I-I do...but fairly...please? Levi, you agree right?” Em turned towards the purple haired demon who snapped out of his disappointment.

“A-ah umm yeah. Besides if you cheat Lucifer will beat your ass Asmo...” Deep down Levi would have loved to have thrashed Solomon's team but he knew staying honest was something Em wanted and he respected that decision, plus the wrath of Lucifer terrified him.

A deep voice suddenly roared from the vines. “OI ASMO YOU CHEATIN’ BASTARD GET BACK HERE NOW! I SEE YA BACK THERE!” 

“Oh...speak of the devils..or uhh demons” the raven haired girl winced at how angry Mammon sounded, but laughed awkwardly along with Levi at the convenient timing. 

“Mammon will you calm down! Honestly, you’re scaring the wildlife!” Em heard Satan's irritated tone getting closer. 

“If he doesn’t come out I can always summon him? I agree with Mammon though it was a little dirty...” Solomon also made his presence known as the three men slipped out from behind the vines, all looking equally as furious.

“Asmo what the hell do you think you’re doin’?” Mammon stomped towards his smaller brother.

“Ugh I’m not going to stand here and listen to you all lecture me” Asmodeus threw his hands up in the air and rolled his eyes as he stormed off.

“What’s going on here? Why did a naked statue of a man just run past us?” Simeon and his group also appeared, Luke looked traumatised and Beel just held his stomach looking fed up.

Em sighed and followed after Asmodeus who had headed back towards the manor, she nodded at Levi reassuringly and before he could stop her or at the very least escort her she disappeared.

It didn’t take long before she caught up to the caramel haired brother however. “Asmo! P-please slow down!”

“Ugh, sorry Em..I really just wanted to cheer you up but everyone is overreacting...” he pouted. “You know what’s strange though? It hit me when I charmed that statue...come here a sec.” Asmo grabbed the girl by the arms and leant in, his face drawing closer.

“Uhhh...w-what are you doing?” Em started, blushing at the close contact.

“Hmmm..interesting. You know my charm power doesn’t work on you? I think you’re the first human to ever escape it~” He frowned, looking confused. “I actually tried it on you the first day we met, but you just stood there unphased; it was really embarrassing haha!”

“That..that is interesting huh. I wonder why it didn’t work...” 

“Hey! Asmo....huff..huff wait up” Levi clambered over to the two, a little concerned after seeing the closeness. “Ugh..I’m so tired today please don’t make me run again.” doubling over to catch his breath for a second. “They’re calling it quits on the game because of your little stunt with the statue...apparently the angels can’t trust our results now.” He sighed. “It’s a shame because we were in the lead...”

“What? Seriously? Oh..that is a shame” Em frowned, feeling like the angels were taking this way too seriously, but at the end of the day they were the hosts, so what they said went.

“That’s ridiculous! I just wanted to ch- cherish the thought of winning.” Asmo stumbled over his words.

They all headed back to the manor with their heads hung in shame, a little pissed off that they’d lost and gotten the entire thing cancelled.

* * *

Beel beamed, it was his night tonight and that meant he had free reign over the feast. He ran into the kitchen and started delegating orders to the staff; ensuring there was plenty to go around in terms of burgers and pizza on Em’s behalf.

After dinner had been served and everyone had a plate of food Lord Diavolo and Lucifer made their presence known as they stepped into the hall.

“Well, all this food looks wonderful! I’m afraid I have a few things to say before we all start. Now, I don’t condone what happened during the scavenger hunt but it is a shame that someone's idea of a joke ruined the entire thing; the angels were right to be upset and poor Luke might need therapy after seeing that statues' ju-.. parts.” The demon prince tried to contain his amusement and pressed his lips into a hard line. “Tomorrow is the last day of the trip, whilst it’s been eventful...we’re sad to see it end. You’ll all have until the coach arrives to do whatever you want; ah within reason of course!” 

“Yes, and I will be having a **long** talk about rule breaking with **Asmodeus** right after our food, so eat up brother because you’ll need your strength after I’m done with you.” Lucifer glared at Asmodeus, a scowl on his face.

“Oooooh Luci~ what are you going to do to little old me~” Asmodeus stood up and pulled his tongue out, winking at his oldest brother playfully. Em facepalmed and chuckled, pulling him back down to his chair. 

Mammon stretched his arms out. “So Em, what ya got planned after this, it’s been a while since we-”

“She’s going on another date with Solomon~” The Avatar of Lust teased whilst directing his attention to his otaku brother who was sat on the other side of the raven haired human. Right on cue Levi threw his hands under the table to clench his fists in disgust.

“Again?! Em...ya don’t like him do ya?” Mammon frowned whilst also directing his eyes towards Levi. 

_No I like Levi but I can’t exactly blurt that out right here..._

Unfortunately for Em, the thoughts of Levi caused her to blush as she stammered out a response. “N-no of course not, Solomon is just a friend!” which led the other brothers, including Levi to jump to the wrong conclusion.

“Of course I’m your friend!” a deceptively happy voice rang out next to the table, it was Solomon; looking too happy for someone who’d just been friendzoned and talked about behind his back. “Em, I was wondering if you’re ready to go?”

_Well that was quick, I would’ve thought I’d have time to digest my food..._

“Ah umm yeah, let me just finish this burger!” Em grabbed the burger with both hands and made quick work of it, then stood up a little too fast. “I’ll see you all later!” she smiled over at Levi who gritted his teeth and nodded at her.

The sorcerer smiled at her and led her out of the dining hall, giving Levi one last smug grin before the two of them stepped out towards the back of the manor. 

“Where are we going Solomon?” Em asked, she assumed they’d be going outside the main gate but it looked like they were walking in the complete opposite direction.

“Oh you’ll see, Barbatos told me about it yesterday” was all he said as they reached a locked door. He lifted his arm up and muttered some latin, causing a golden glow around his hand as the lock clicked and the door swung open.

“Oh wow..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did it I ripped the band aid off! Yeah I've been dreading this for awhile now but after talking to fellow writer friend and my fiancé I realized it didn't HAVE to be a big dramatic moment, it doesn't work that way in life and I was terrified that it wouldn't be worth the build up but hey, it had to happen at some point, I did my best guys.
> 
> So yeah, we've got mutual feelies 40 chapters in :'D HALLELUJAH
> 
> Next chapter: Solomon and Em talk


	41. How and Why?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Solomon and Em talk, Asmo needs the gossip.

“This is beautiful....what is this place?” Em was blown away, flora in all colours of the rainbow surrounded them as vines trickled through the stone walls. A small fountain sat in the middle of the room with several water spouts shooting upwards.

“I knew you’d like it! Apparently the Countess was quite the herbalist back in the day, and I remembered how often you’d check out books on plants from the Library” he said proudly. “The rose I gave you earlier this morning was actually from here”

“O-oh really?”Her eyes widened and she threw her hand over her mouth “I’m SO sorry Solomon, I just realized I must have left it, I never picked it up I’ll go and ge-” she turned towards the door with her hand hovering, but Solomon took his own hand and grabbed her by the wrist. 

“Woah woah! You’ll do no such thing, it’s only a rose for heaven's sake haha! Look around us, there’s plenty more to choose from.” he pulled her back over to him and frowned as he noticed her anxiety flaring up at the unwanted contact.

_T-that’s a little tight Solomon..._

“S-sorry! I really have trouble controlling myself around you..” He loosened the grip on her and held his hands up reassuringly. “I won’t touch you again, I promise. I just don’t want you lurking around by yourself out there, it’s not safe.”

“O-oh..you’re right, sorry I wasn’t thinking..” Em took a seat next to him, a little further away than he would’ve liked as she stared up admiring all of the flowers. “You know I never imagined a demons world would be so breathtaking...some of these flowers I didn’t even know existed!” 

“I know what you mean..when I was a kid I assumed it’d be all hellfire and brimstone hah- I mean if I knew a place like this actually existed.” he laughed nervously. “Can I ask why you’re so into plants, Em?”

She frowned and bit her lip, should she talk about her mother when Solomon had lost his own? Could she trust him with that information?

“Nevermind...” he sighed, taking the long silence as a hint. “You know Em, I really want to get to know you, the real you. I...I know you lied to me in Hocus Pocus. I’ve been around you everyday for the past four months now and I’ve noticed a few tells, you bite your lip or play with your hair when you’re nervous...I’m not condoning you for it or anything, I have secrets of my own...” he threw his head down in regret and started fiddling with the end of his cloak.

_Oh Solomon...you’re talking about your mother aren’t you?_

Em fluffed her hair awkwardly. “I’m sorry Solomon, it’s just..my story isn’t a happy one. So I don’t really like to tell people about it... and there’s nothing wrong with having secrets; everyone has them.” she dug her hands into her knees, looking pained as she was about to share her past with the solemn sorcerer; but he misread the implications in her actions.

“Em is it your leg? Did I not heal it properly? Do you need me to get you something? Or we can head back?” He jumped off the wall and began inspecting her wound with his eyes, concentrating like he was a brain surgeon in the middle of operating. “Where does it hurt?”

She laughed, causing him to furrow his brow in confusion. “Ppffft sorry! You reminded me a little of Levi there.. But no,my leg is fine, thanks.“ 

Upon being compared to the demon, Solomon rolled his eyes but kept his charming smile. “Well I’m glad you’re okay, you scared us half to death yesterday..you’re very lucky that I still had some magic left.” He looked down at his hands in deep thought. “But I need to become stronger..”

“Solomon I think you’re amazing! I..well I don’t know many wizar- sorry old habit- sorcerers, but I wish I could do the things you could..” Em furrowed her brow in frustration. “Maybe I could’ve done things differently if I could practice magic..”

Solomon turned to face her and smiled warmly at her. “Thank you, Em. that means a lot.” a faint tinge of pink painted his cheeks. “If I can be honest with you...back home they didn’t think the same as you, I was nothing but a worthless fisher boy to them.”

_A Fisher boy? That's interesting...but then yeah makes sense if he’s from Bulgaria._

Ems curiosity piqued upon hearing that detail of his life, and she wanted to push him just a little for some more information. If he wanted to know her then he had to spill some of his secrets too, that was the deal.

“Fisher boy? Did you live near the ocean, Solomon? I remember you mentioned something about a Monastery on cliffs” she brushed her hair back behind her ear. “My hometown was in the countryside in the south west of England, we were pretty close to the seaside too…”

The sorcerer bit his lip, as if he’d given too much information away but then he decided to allow her a little more into his world, especially hearing a bit about herself even if it was just a snippet. “Yeah it started out as a small fishing village but over time it became quite popular, when I was a boy I’d sit on the limestone walls and just watch the boats sail back and forth in the harbour...” he looked down sombrely and suddenly snapped his head up “A-anyway I’m boring you and this conversation is getting a little heavy isn’t it haha”

“Sorry..I didn’t mean to pry; it sounds like a lovely place though, I can tell you miss it.” she winced, the thought of going back to her hometown made her skin crawl; but hearing how fondly Solomon spoke of his home made her a little bit guilty of wanting to throw everything she knew away so eagerly.

All of sudden there was a vibrating noise snapping both of them out of their thoughts. “S-sorry, I’d better see who it is..”

“Don’t be sorry Em” he smiled sadly, memories of his past bubbling up. ”and no problem, take your time.”

**You have 4 new messages:**

Asmodeus: How long are you going to be gooooone

Asmodeus: You're such a tease Em, I want to talk about Levi with you~

Asmodeus: Speaking of your man, he left pretty much as soon as you did.

Asmodeus: But you’ll be glad to know I’ve got a little champagne and some chocolate~

Em: Sorry! I think I’m going to head back now

Em: That sounds WONDERFUL ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Em: I’ll see you soon!

The raven haired girl sighed, putting her phone back in her pocket. “That was Asmo, he’s wanting to hang out...I-I’m sorry again for being nosey, but thank you for what you told me Solomon, I feel like I know you a little better now.”

Solomon raised his eyebrows in surprise, he had expected it to be a barrage of texts from Levi asking where she was. “Oh then you’d better go, I’ll just...stay here a little longer if you don’t mind.” he stared up wistfully at the hanging plants. “Thanks for coming”

_He looks so sad...s-should I stay and comfort him?_

_No, maybe he wants to be alone right now..._

She regretfully stood up and bid the sorcerer goodnight, leaving him alone with his thoughts.

* * *

On her way back to the room Em decided she'd check in on the sorcerer, she felt a pang of guilt knowing really she should've made sure if he was okay.

Em: Hey Solomon, I just wanted to ask if you're alright?

Em: Thank you for showing that place to me

Em: And I hope you're okay

Em: If you ever need to talk, I'm just a message away :)

She didn't receive a response.

As she swung the door open to her room a pair of hands pulled her inside. Asmodeus was positively jumping with glee and excitement, he’d been wanting to talk to her all day about her revelation; and now they could without any disturbances.

“Asmo haha calm down! What’s up?”

“I’m sorry Em, I’m just so happy for you! You finally figured it out all on your own, and I only had to push you a little bit~” He twisted the cork on the bottle of champagne and pulled it with much force, pouring them each a glass. “Right you set yourself down there, I’ve got the chocolate, my DDD is turned on silent mode oh AND-” he pulled out a small makeup bag. “Will you be my little experiment tonight~”

Em didn’t know what to say, she was amused that Asmo seemed so excited by this, but then it was his brother and he WAS the Avatar of Lust so of course he’d love the gossip. She obeyed him and took a seat on the floor, leaning against her bed and grabbed a piece of chocolate.

Asmo slammed himself down, wobbling the glasses in his hands a little. “RIGHT! First of all, what happened with Solomon?”

Em quickly reviewed the nature of the talk in the greenhouse with Solomon, she knew Asmodeus wanted to get to the juicy bits so she glossed over the details as quickly as possible.

He nodded and looked a little surprised on hearing a bit about his past. “Oh wow, I never knew that..I can’t help feel a little bad for poor sexy Solomon now, he definitely has a crush on you Em, hey can I have him? I’ll trade you Levi for Solomon~”

Em laughed and threw her head back. “That’s fine with me Asmo, no I think Solomon just needs a friend honestly...it sounds to me like he didn’t have the greatest upbringing either.I think he’s just a flirty type of person.” 

The demon slapped his forehead with his hand in bewilderment. “Wow Em..you’re impossible sometimes, and you think way too little of yourself. The man likes you I..I’ll tell you a secret; I can _smell_ lust.” 

_He can SMELL it? I...I wonder if-_

Her eyes widened at that information and Asmodeus smirked as he saw the cogs turning in her head, before she could open her mouth he stated. “Yes..Levi reeks of it too~” he chewed his lip, it would be boring to tell her his brother was into her too; he just wanted to sit back and enjoy the events unfolding naturally, if it took too long then sure he’d give them another push in the right direction. “We all reek of lust for you Em~ even Luci~”

She blushed and laughed nervously.”O-oh? Haha”

Asmodeus’ chortled impatiently “So…..can we get to the juicy part now! How did you figure it out?”  
  
She exhaled, aware that this was going to be a very long night.“Well after you told me to think about it I just..sort of did. I started right back at the beginning when we first met.”

“Oh yikes I remember how much of an asshole he was to you hahah, a-anyway continue please; and don’t spare any details~” Asmodeus leant in, resting his head on his hands as she started to reveal her thought process. He could barely contain himself; it was like Christmas and Valentines day all rolled into one.

Em took a sip before she continued, allowing the chocolate to melt a little in her mouth before swallowing it. “Okay so, first impression of your brother? I'll admit yes, he reminded me a LOT of Nate, but even then I couldn't help but feel attracted to him..I thought he was cute. Especially when he started rambling an apology to me and got lost talking about Ruri-chan...it’s funny because when I first got here I thought demons were going to be scary monsters; but you’re really not much different than humans. A-anyway about Levi..” she smiled as his name caused her heart to swell. “I started recalling all of the times I felt strange around him, like how my heart had started to race around him when he did or said the simplest of things; how happy I felt when I was around him and..the night of the dance, I was disappointed Asmo.”

“Disappointed, why? I thought you said you enjoyed the dance.” he pursed his lips in confusion. 

“I did! Trust me I’ll never forget it but..I came to the realization that I wanted him to kiss me, Levi thanked me for the dance and whispered in my ear, but I was ready and willing for a kiss that night, and then later that night I kissed him on the cheek in his roo-” she threw her hand to her mouth to stop herself, but it was too late. Asmodeus was on her like a cat on a hot brick.

“In his room?! Wait...did you actually spend the night together! Em..I never took you for such an impulsive girl” his eyes lit up at this development as he chugged his drink down with satisfaction. He had teased Leviathan about this the morning after the party but he’d never imagined it to be reality.

“N-no! We just talked..I-I read a text from him wishing me goodnight and after everything that had happened...I just wanted to be with him..n-not like that!” she rolled her eyes and laughed. “We spent hours just talking about ourselves, it was lovely..and then around 4am he told me I should head back and get some sleep but-but I wanted to stay, Asmo.”

“Ugh Levi… my shut in brother always _has_ enjoyed cockblocking himself~" he muttered. "You two are the cutest little things though, so is that what made you realize?”

“S-sorry I’m not quite there yet! So, as you know Levi found me sitting there in the scavenger hunt earlier and, I just looked at him, like I _reaallllly_ looked at every little detail of his face, and then his lips and it was like...lightning Asmo. And that’s when I knew I was in love with him…”

Asmodeus screamed with joy, a little loudly. “Ahh I’m so happy for you I-wait. LOVE?! It’s not just a crush and you wanting to jump his bones?”

Em blushed intensely at that last remark, gesturing with her hands to lower the volume “ Shhh Asmo, what if someone hears us! But no...I’m pretty sure its love, even Nate didn’t make me feel like this…” she held her chest and beamed at the sensation. A warm glow enveloped her; beating down the guilt she felt over moving on from her childhood friend.

“Awwh that is adorable~ anyway come here, I’m going to give you a little makeover, nothing too dramatic I promise~” He took another sip of his drink and beckoned her over, wiping her face and applying cream. “Okay, so we’ve done how..so I have to ask, why Em? What is it about him that you like?”

“W-why? Well I..I don’t know how to sum that up…” she thought about it for a second, why did she like Leviathan. “He’s incredibly kind to me, always there for me when I need him, he’s hilarious, smart and handsome..plus he has really great taste in games and animé.” Em laughed innocently, causing Asmo to mess up on her makeup as he groaned. “S-sorry..I’ll keep my head still now.”

“I don’t doubt that he’s all those things to you Em, but to us well he’s a very different person. But he has changed a LOT since you came into our lives, we all have ~ now this conversation needs to be ramped up a little in my opinion~” he leaned in closely to her and whispered “so do you think he’s sexy, would you..y’know like to sort out his little problem~”

"P-problem?" she took another sip of her drink, pondering what he meant.

"You know! his virginity!"

Em spat her champagne back into the glass and spluttered.

It took every bit of willpower for her to not throw her head back in embarrassment. “A-asmo! I can’t talk about that sort of thing..” her pupils shrank to the size of dots as the question started pulling thoughts out of her head, causing her to go crimson.

_Me and Levi..._

_What am I thinking!_

Asmodeus raised his eyebrow “Well you’re certainly giving it some thought~ c’mon Em, you can tell me, I won’t say anything, ever.~ at the very least, do you think he’s sexy?”

“I...I do” she averted her gaze, feeling herself go clammy. “Okay, you can’t say a word about this!” she pointed at him sternly.

“Cross my heart and hope to die~” he stuck his tongue out playfully, intrigued as to what was so secret. 

“Fine..sometimes when we’re hanging out I find myself..looking.” more blush as she corrected herself. “A-at his chest! I’ve recently wondered what- what he looks like without a shirt on, I thought it was just me being well, an eighteen year old girl so it didn’t hit me why I was thinking about him like that.”

“Well there’s nothing wrong with checking people out Em, I do it ALL the time. Hell I took a very good long look at you when we first met~” Asmodeus stated nonchalantly. “Have you ever..y’know fantasised about things?~”

“Okay, down boy haha! I’m not saying anything else to you about that sort of thing now...c-can we change the subject? I’ll talk about Levi more if that's what you want but I don’t feel comfortable talking about s-s-se..” 

“Em you’re adorable... just say the word sex. It’s completely natural~ I remember when you blurted it out at the dinner table that time, that was HILARIOUS!” He grabbed some concealer and started applying it on her, gesturing for her look up as he rubbed it under her eyes.

_Oh don’t remind me about that, it was so embarrassing…_

_Especially for poor Levi when Lucifer asked him..that._

She raised her eyebrows and shook her head slightly in protest. “I-I know that but i-it’s private, besides I JUST realized how I feel about him... at the very least give me some time.” Finally her torment came to an end, the lustful demon leant back and sighed with satisfaction.

“All done! Right you can look in a sec but last question about my brother, are you going to tell him how you feel~” he fixed his gaze on her.

“Asmo...I need time to think about that sort of thing, but well...what if he rejected me?” Em looked down at herself, feeling the self doubt creeping up on her once more. There were a lot of ifs and buts coming to her right now, but she wanted to keep the conversation light.

Asmodeus sighed, the girl was oblivious along with his brother. The two would make the perfect couple. “Hun, no-one's going to reject you looking this good~ if he did he’d be in a world of hurt~”

He held up the mirror making her gasp, keeping true to his word he’d kept her makeup natural looking; just a bit of concealer, mascara and light foundation and blush to help accentuate her natural beauty. “You can use some nude lipstick too if you want, but you have such pretty pink lips I don’t think you really need it, so..take some lip balm instead.”

“Thank you so much Asmo, I love it! And it still feels like me..” she smiled as she checked out her face. “You’ve done so much for me lately, let me treat you to a meal or something some time please?”

“Awwh if you really want to Em, but I don’t mind helping you out for free~ I mean there is ONE way you can pay me~” he said in a seductive tone and winked.

Em giggled, raising an eyebrow. “I’ll treat you to a meal in Hell's Kitchen.” she stated firmly.

“Fiiiiiine..” he pouted and then a stroke of genius hit him. “ I think Levi should see how cute you look right now, so why don’t you summon him~” 

“Y-you think? I mean I don’t know, he might be asleep.. He was really tired today”

Asmodeus grabbed his DDD and swiftly tapped the screen, not even looking at it as he typed. Within seconds he received a response.

Asmodeus: Hey Beel, is Levi awake?

Beelzebub: Oh hey! Yeah he’s just got out of the shower :)

Beelzebub: Why whats up?

Asmodeus: Oh nothing :) I’ll get him another time then~

This was the perfect chance, Em would forgive him, and Levi would too....eventually. An evil grin plastered his face as he feigned ignorance to his brother's warning. “Yeah Beel said his phones on charge right now but he’s awake, and he said it’s totally fine to summon him~”

“A-are you sure? W-well if you say so..” Em closed her eyes, summoning her courage as well as her love in one go. Like a flash of lightning he appeared, however as the mist cleared she noticed he didn’t look happy.

“E-EM?! WHATAMIDOINGHERE?!” Levi had just stepped out of the shower and thankfully had enough time to put a towel around himself, as he was about to get dressed... when he felt the otherworldly pull towards her. 

He was in shock, looking at her, then Asmo and then down at himself, after an awkward few seconds of silence he ran as fast as his legs could carry him out of the room, holding onto his towel with all of his strength and bursting down the hallway. Em just sat there stunned, she had only seen him for a few seconds but she had gotten her wish. Levi’s ivory skin and toned body was burned into her mind. 

_Oh wow...his skin was so pale, and clear and..and those muscles._

_His hair was still wet from the shower too._

_Yep..won’t be forgetting that anytime soon._

Asmodeus on the other hand couldn’t stop laughing and was bent over in almost pain from it. “Hahahahahhaha oh wow that was TOO good! He’s going to kill me, but it’s so worth it!”

He turned to face her and laughed even harder at her shocked and pleased expression. “Well I told you I’d help you out for freee~ but hahahaha oh the look on his face was priceless...it is a shame he was already wearing a towel though.” Asmodeus pouted. 

Suddenly a voice broke out as they were joined by none other than Simeon, looking a little perplexed. “So..I’ve just ran into Leviathan outside...that’s the second time today I’ve seen something I’d rather not...I may have to say a few hail marys after that.” The angel slumped on his bed, pinching his nose. How had his wonderful peaceful life in the Celestial Realm devolved so fast into something so unholy.

Em felt her pocket buzzing suddenly and whipped out her phone at lightning speed.

**You have 3 new messages.**

Leviathan: So umm I’m not blaming you

Leviathan: Beel told me Asmodeus was behind it. ಠ╭╮ಠ

Leviathan: I’m VERY sorry for that. 

Em: Oh no I’m the one who should be sorry!

Em: I shouldn’t have trusted Asmodeus so easily…

A smile graced her lips, would it be inappropriate of her to compliment his physique?

Em: It’s good to see your hard work has paid off though.

Leviathan: What do you mean?

Em: Well uhh..the working out..

Em: You looked good

Due to the image burning into her mind, her thoughts drifted somewhere else and she didn’t even notice herself clicking on the wrong albeit very relevant icon.

Em: ლ(´ڡ`ლ)

Her mouth hung open and her blood went cold as she saw the emoji, a second too late as it sent and then the small “ _seen_ ” tag next to it. “NO NO! I DIDN’T MEAN TO SEND THAT!” Asmodeus and Simeon jolted upright in surprise at the sudden raised voice. Asmo smirked; he wanted to know what that outburst was about.

Leviathan: ◉_◉

Em: NO NO THAT'S THE WRONG EMOJI!

Em: I’m sorry I meant 

Em: ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Leviathan: Ohhh hahah uhh thanks? ^^’

Leviathan: I didn’t get a chance to say it due to well a lot of things happening today

Leviathan: But I liked your outfit today.

Leviathan: It was cute ^^

Em: Thankyou! I wasn’t sure about the shorts tbh but Asmo convinced me

Leviathan: Well I thought you looked great :)

Leviathan: Sorry brb I’ve got to finish getting changed...

Em: No problem ^^ sorry again :(

She threw her hands over her face in embarrassment, squirming with affection for him as her heart leapt out of her chest.

 _He said my outfit was cute! And that I looked good!_ _Levi you’re going to be the death of me_

 _  
_Simeon said nothing but raised an eyebrow at her as he grabbed his book off the bedside table, Asmo however crept up behind her tilting his head to read the messages on the screen.

“Well well, someones happy~ but what did you send..was it a dirty picture~” 

Simeon coughed and leant closer into the book, wishing in that moment that he’d brought earplugs or even gotten another room.

“N-no of course not! I...ugh just look..” She turned her head away as she held out the phone to him. 

“AHAHAHAH Em! You totally meant to send that didn’t you? Don’t lie~” 

“Of course I didn’t! Ugh it’s all your fault!” she grabbed a pillow and playfully pelted him with it. Asmodeus’ eyes narrowed as he turned to her, and that trademark smirk returned as he grabbed his own pillow and bopped her over the head lightly with it. “Don’t be too rough with me Em, you know I can’t control myself around you~”

The pair tapped each other with their pillows back and forth and then he snapped his fingers. "Hey! we should invite the others and all have a good old fashioned pillow fight~"  
  
  
Em thought about it for a second. "That actually sounds really fun! Let's do it!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter that was rewritten, I've kept the first draft of this and I'll be incorporating it in a future chapter ;)
> 
> Hope you like Solomons backstory although, I've only shared a sprinkle so far <3 
> 
> Pillow fight is coming next, along with the much needed talk with Asmo (I didn't forget. I just wanted some light hearted humour this chapter)


	42. Pillow Talk

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Pillow fight and that little talk between Em and Asmodeus.

Levi huffed over the sink, he’d never run so fast in his life. As he had come bursting through the door still soaking wet, Beel roared with laughter upon seeing his brother's mortified expression and told him he didn’t even get a chance to warn him that Asmo had messaged him. Whereas poor Luke on the other hand just sighed defeatedly, it seemed like 300 years was the maximum age for complete purity around the brothers. He grabbed his flute and grieved his childhood innocence with a melancholic song.

_Stupid scummy Asmo! Ugh I cannot BELIEVE she saw me like this!_

_I’ve got to message her and apologize_

Leviathan: So umm I’m not blaming you

Leviathan: Beel told me Asmodeus was behind it. ಠ╭╮ಠ

Leviathan: I’m VERY sorry for that. 

Em: Oh no I’m the one who should be sorry!

Em: I shouldn’t have trusted Asmodeus so easily…

_You’re damned right you shouldn’t have..oh Em, please be more careful in the future…_

_I’m just beyond thankful I had a towel on!_

Em: It’s good to see your hard work has paid off though.

_My hard work?_

Leviathan: What do you mean?

Em: Well uhh..the working out..

Em: You looked good

Em: ლ(´ڡ`ლ)

Levi stared down at the screen shaking his head in disbelief and blinked rapidly. Beel looked at his brother bemused at the action but said nothing and continued with his weights.

_D-did Asmodeus take her phone? Am I..talking to him right now? Or did she ACTUALLY send me something like that? N-no don’t be silly._

_I’ll just play it safe, it probably is Asmo._

Leviathan: ◉_◉

Em: NO NO THAT'S THE WRONG EMOJI!

Em: I’m sorry I meant 

Em: ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

_Ohhhhh okay, that makes sense...but w-why does she have that emoji?_

_Surely it would have to be on recently used to accidentally select it…?_

_I’m reading too much into it, I’ve got to stop getting my hopes up._

He scratched his head and thanked her for the compliment, his damp hair dripping all over the screen. After some innocent flirting of his own he began to shiver, realizing he still needed to get dressed.

_I’ll message her again when I’ve dried my hair and calmed down a little, I thought I was going to die from embarrassment._

_And I’m pretty sure Simeon saw my ass because the towel got caught on the handle and came loose at the back..ugh._

He grew red and hid his face in the towel pushing further in as the embarrassment set in once more, then sighed and grabbed a t-shirt and some pants; throwing them on with much gusto. As he ambled back into the bedroom, Luke stopped playing his funeral of innocence and glared at him.

_Ugh what’s he going to bark about now? Is he going to tell Michael I was running around naked?_

The cherub burned his eyes into Levi’s skull and crossed his arms in disappointment. “I really don't like you. I bet you planned it didn’t you? You told Em to summon her and then flashed your...Gabriel's Horn at her, DISGUSTING!” 

Levi rolled his eyes, of course the angelkin thought it was _HIS_ idea. Though he had to laugh a little for the euphemism, angels were such conservative creatures. There wasn’t even any point in trying to defend himself, Luke was far too gone in his perception of him.

Beel also couldn’t help but splutter at that, but tried to diffuse the tension. “N-pfft now now Luke, it was all Asmo’s idea I’m pretty sure of it, he texted me right before Levi was summoned. And after I told him that Levi was in the shower he went offline…”

The Otaku sighed and shrugged nonchalantly. “It’s no use telling him Beel, he won’t believe it unless I’m the one who’s made out to be the bad guy...hey Fido? go play fetch somewhere else tonight if you hate me that much.” Levi sneered and grabbed his phone, throwing himself on his bed to reply to Em.

Leviathan: Hey I’m back

Leviathan: Fully clothed now! 

_W-why did I mention that? Idiot!_

Em: \ (•◡•) / yay for layers!

Em: Do you want to have some fun tonight?

Em: It’s fine if you don’t want to, especially after that…

Levi raised his eyebrow, what on earth was she talking about. Her phrasing didn’t help his thought process.

Leviathan: Uhhh... whats up?

Em: Would you like to have a pillow fight tonight?

_A..a pillow fight? Just the two of us…?_

Leviathan: I mean it wouldn’t be much of a fight with just the two of us?

_Em in...pyjamas, I wonder if she wears shorts to bed? Or maybe she sleeps nak-_

_STOP. You’re already on bad terms with the angels and you’re not alone right now._

Em: Oh LMAO no, with everyone! It was Asmo’s idea! 

He groaned in slight disappointment that his sexy one on one fantasy was anything but that. However it did sound like a good idea, especially after how stressful this trip had been for everyone.

Leviathan: Oh sure that sounds fun!

Leviathan: But can I walk like a normal person? With my legs? 

Leviathan: I’ve got a bit of PTSD from that experience

Leviathan: Post Traumatic Summoning Distress.

Em: Completely understandable ⚆ _ ⚆

Em: Sounds good, I’ll summon the others then!

A little bit of jealousy rose up in Levi, he knew that she had pacts with four of them but she told him in confidence that she’d summoned him the most and he was always her go to as her best friend; and he felt flattered and proud of that score, so wasn’t exactly thrilled about the idea of her zapping Beel to her room whilst he had to walk.

Leviathan: Well Beels here with me so I can just ask him ;)

Leviathan: He has legs too :D

Em: Oh okay then! Just come by whenever you’re ready!

Em: Of course ask Luke too!

The purple haired otaku grimaced at the thought of speaking to the judgemental chihuahua again but did as he was told. “Oi Fido, Em wants to know if you’ll come with us to have a pillow fight later? Simeons there too so don’t worry you won’t be devoured by us monsters” he said in a mocking tone. “You’re invited too, Beel”

Luke snarled at the insult and sarcasm, but his eyes lit up at the prospect of spending time with Em, plus he was still a child so the thought of a real life pillow fight sounded fun. “Sure.” was all he said as he stepped into the bathroom to change into his night robes. 

Beel nodded in approval too, grabbing a bunch of snacks to take over with him.

Leviathan: Fido wagged his tail at the idea (❍ᴥ❍ʋ)

Em: Fido?

Leviathan: Sorry, I meant Luke

Em: >_> Levi you’re not being mean to a cherub are you?

Leviathan: He started it! Especially with the porn remark yesterday.

Em: Levi… he's a kid ლ(ಠ益ಠლ)

Em: Be the bigger person

Leviathan: I am! I’m 6’1 ;)

Em: (¬‿¬) 

Em: Don’t get smart with me when you’re about to enter a war zone ;)

Em: LOL anyway Mammons here already, Satan is on his way too!

Leviathan: I’ll have you know I have experience when it comes to war 

Leviathan: I am a Grand Admiral of The Hells Navy after all ~(˘▾˘~)

Em: Pfffft

Em: Well come on Pop-eye, everyones waiting!

_Pop-eye? Oooh you’ll regret calling me that Em.._

Leviathan: Sailing over now ~~~

He couldn’t help but laugh at his little joke and stood up as he grabbed his pillow, arching his back as Luke and Beel made their way to the door with their own weapons of choice. Beel smirked at his brother and hung back a little so Luke was further infront of them, just out of earshot.

_“So you looked awfully happy, how's things with Em?”_

_“W-well I think. she..she said I looked good.”_ Levi lowered his voice as much as possible, the last thing he wanted was Luke finding out about his actual feelings.

_“That’s good! Did she tell you about how it went with Solomon yet?”_

_“No and I’m not sure I want to know after how she was at dinner.”_

_“Levi...you’re on about how she got all defensive earlier and blushed right? When Mammon asked her if she liked him…”_ Beel harrumphed.

_“Yeah.. she even took the rose off him earlier”_

Beel bit his lip, he really wanted to tell his brother what Em had said in Hell's Kitchen, but he wouldn’t allow himself to betray her no matter the cost, however he could hint towards it. “ _I dunno man, I don’t think she’s into him; Ems just a kind person who sometimes doesn’t know how to say no.”_

They were quickly approaching their destination so spoke barely above a whisper, thankfully Luke didn’t seem to have a care in the world about what they were talking about. “ _You’re right about that, I guess we’ll see tonight. He’s gonna be here isn't he?”_

Luke spat out air and tapped on the door, waiting a few seconds before the white haired brother answered. 

_“Yo you guys are finally here, get in quick!”_ He spoke in a hushed tone, beckoning the three of them inside.

As he stepped inside and Mammon had closed the door Levi did a quick scan of the area. Solomon was nowhere to be seen, had she not invited him? He couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief at the sorcerer's absence.

“Y-you made it!” Em beamed at him as she sat on her bed. Asmodeus was practically straddling her, along with Luke who galloped towards her as soon as Mammon had opened the door to them. “You didn’t run into Lucifer did you? Mammon said we’ve got to keep it a secret from him.” Levi couldn’t help but stare a little too long at her outfit, she was wearing a black cat and moon cami with matching shorts, not leaving much to the imagination.

_Short shorts twice in one day and I can see h-her bra..._

_Em, you’re killing me._

He snapped his head up not wanting her to realize he’d been checking her out and coughed innocently. “N-no we didn’t, but uhhh I was wondering if this is everyone?” He found himself peering under the beds, towards the bathroom like Solomon was going to pop out like a daisy from somewhere, he’d gotten too used to his cockblocking nature.

“Oh are you talking about Solomon? Yeah I did invite him but he hasn’t been responding to my texts since…” she trailed off. Levi raised an eyebrow, what in Devildom had happened and where had they disappeared to together, he’d even left the hall early just to make sure he hadn’t led her to somewhere shady but lost them quickly as he didn’t know his way around the manor.

Mammon attempted to sit back down beside her. “Oi Asmo, you bastard! Quit snugglin’ up against Em!” 

Asmo pulled his tongue out at the white haired brother. “Excuse me? It’s none of your business who I snuggle up to or get lovey-dovey with, now is it? And your **constant** yelling about it is annoying, to be honest.” He turned and faced the purple haired demon. “Do you have any complaints too Levi~”

_Yes, get off her. She’s clearly uncomfortable right now._

_She’s not a damn harem queen._

“I uhh-” he started but his brother interrupted him.

Mammon clenched his fists.”I’ll be as annoyin’ as I have to be...whatever it takes to get you off of her, get away, get away get AWAY!”

Satan pinched his brow. “Mammon do you not remember how clingy you were with her that evening you got super drunk and hit on her?”

Em winced a little at the memory and the tension between the brothers, she was uncomfortable as hell right now but she didn’t want to cause any offence; plus Asmodeus had been her rock today so she didn’t want to cause any bad blood with him. 

Levi frowned. “Guys, she’s not saying anything but I think she wants you all to get off her; you too Fi-Luke.” 

Asmodeus smirked, it was time to tease. “Ohhh you’re just sayin’ that because you’re jealous Levi~ Em LOVES cuddling up with me~” he giggled, winking at the human girl. Asmodeus had decided that he was going to wind Levi up on a string tonight about her; watching his brother squirm delighted him.

Satan sighed and pelted Asmodeus with a pillow. “Get off her.” then smacked Mammon as well. “You too.” He held the pillow up high and brought it down gently on the clingy cherub.

“O-oi watch it demon!” Luke grabbed his own weapon and threw the pillow blindly, it smacked Beel right in the face. The red haired brother pouted. “I didn’t even do anything! Luke..is that how you treat me after I share my snacks with you? I even gave you the last cookie.”

“Well I didn’t mean to hit you Beel...it’s HIS fault” the small angel pointed at Satan. 

“Now, now everyone..you promised this would be family friendly fun if I kept it a secret from Lucifer!” The dark skinned angel shook his head in defeat, he had wanted to read his book tonight but between Em and the lustful demon squealing about something big and now everyone invading their space it looked like he’d have to read another time.

Em stretched her legs and stood up, armed with two pillows. She saw her freedom and she took it; whacking Mammon over the head with force and then in the same beat she flung the other pillow straight at Levi.

_Quick Em, but not quick enough.._

He yanked his own pillow out from underneath his arm and slapped hers away just in the nick of time. “HAH not quick enough. I told you, I’ve got experience in this sort of thing!” He smirked at her and calmly walked towards her due to being unguarded. Beaming at her warmly to deceive her and then he struck. "That's for calling me Popeye." he spun around and got her in the leg."And THAT'S for trying to catch me off guard"

Asmodeus held his pillow behind his back and spoke in a deceptively calm voice. “ And THATS about the _only_ thing you have experience in~” he giggled and his eyes lit up as Levi stepped in range.

_You bastard!_

He whacked Levi with full force causing little ruri-chans to dance around his head. Mammon was back in form now and stole Asmo’s pillow from him, giving him several quick jabs in the face with it.

“Alright you two, that’s enough. Stop being so rough; you’re sending dust and feathers flying everyw-” A stray pillow thwacked the blonde demon in the mouth.

“Mpfh!” Satan mumbled through the linen. Everyone snapped their heads around to the culprit. 

“S-sorry…I was aiming for Simeon” Luke trembled. As much as he hated demons and didn’t trust them, Satan and Lucifer were people who he did NOT want to cross and Simeon had warned the cherub that the Avatar of Wrath would bring calamity if he got on his bad side.

“I’M GOING TO KILL YOU ALL!” Satan roared, laughing maniacally. Em and Luke gulped, Levi looked worried but Beel laughed.

 _Satan's_ _got serious anger issues, hopefully he’s just pretending._

The bookloving brother grabbed three pillows at once and hurled them in all directions, one smacked Mammon, the other two walloped Simeon as he tried to shield himself with his cape.

“Hey you can’t block with your body Simeon, that’s cheating~” Asmodeus put his hands on his hips in disapproval.

“H-hey you can’t throw a pillow at Simeon! Take THIS SUPER CELESTIAL SHOOTING PILLOW!” Luke completely missed Satan and smacked Beel, who seemed to be drooling a little.

“Beel are you even going to play?” Levi asked, grabbing more pillows off the floor; lining them up to Mammon and Asmodeus’ head as he hurled them.

"S-sorry yeah, they just remind me of giant marshmallows..."he answered in a somewhat dreamlike state.

_Score 5 for me._

Em ran full pelt at the red haired demon and bopped him in the leg, the glutton brother smiled at her and almost floored her with his own strike. “W-whoops sorry!” He offered her his hand and pulled her up. 

Levi glared at his brother for not taking into consideration the difference in strength and lunged at him, hitting in the stomach winding him slightly. Em regained her footing and saw her chance to get the otaku, she jumped in the air and whacked him, causing him to lose his balance.

“Oh you’re sooooooo dead” he looked at her with a mischievous grin, she gulped and stepped back a few paces. Whilst Satan was on the attack again, this time taking it out on Beel and Simeon.

 **“Just WHAT do all of you think you’re DOING?”** A deep voice bellowed, causing them all to freeze in place. They’d forgotten the fact that this was supposed to be a secret pillow fight and the door must have been opened. Everyone shifted awkwardly, and watched as a larger man in red appeared by the door behind Lucifer. 

_Well now we’re ALL dead…_

_It was nice knowing you Em!_

“That’s a good question...yes. Really, I have to say I’m very disappointed.” Diavolo looked furious, and crossed his arms.

“Diavolo, I promise you that I’m going to have a good long talk with them, and ensure that-” Lucifer started.

“I mean a pillow fight? How could you do something SO FUN and not think to invite us?” Diavolo beamed, he’d always wanted to do something like this with a bunch of friends but growing up in royalty meant fun was never natural and only simulated.

“...What?” The oldest brother held his chest in bemusement.

“It’s a pillow fight Lucifer! A pillow fight..! This is what overnight retreats are all about. I mean, it’s straight out of the book Youthful Fun 101!” Diavolo marched into the room and held a pillow up, examining it like he had to push a button to get it to function.

“...No, I’m sorry. Starry-eyed nostalgia is all well and good but I won’t stand for this.” Lucifer huffed, narrowing his eyes in disapproval at everyone in the room, including the Demon Prince who took pleasure in watching Mammon launch pillows at the lustful demon. “You’re lettin’ your guard down Asmo! TAKE THIS!” Unfortunately he shut his eyes in concentration.

“MPPF!” Everyone snapped their heads back around and watched in horror as the pillow dropped to the floor, revealing a dazed looking Diavolo.

“Uh oh…” Mammon yelped.

“Oooooh you’ve got some serious aggro on the demon prince now Mammon LOL '' Levi gestured to Em for her to join him; and stood protectively infront of her just incase things went south.

The crimson eyed brother stepped inside the room at last and walked slowly over to a pile of pillows, gripping one tightly as he frowned. “Anyone who dares strike Lord Diavolo...must DIE!” A red mist emanated from him as he launched the pillow like a rocket, knocking Mammon out on the spot.

He staggered and muttered some gibberish “Why-do you-all.. have so many..heads” and he fell to the floor unconscious with a loud thud.

“Oh dear…” Em frowned and tugged onto the back of Levi’s tshirt, he whipped his head around and flinched slightly at how close she was to his face.  
  


“ _It’s okay, I’m here.”_ he whispered reassuringly with a heartfelt smile and held a pillow up shielding the two of them like some sort of knight in shining armour protecting a princess from a dragon. The display of chivalry impressed her and her heart raced.

_This reminds me of my game, Lucifer the fire demon is our enemy and I have to save the beautiful princess._

_And I will._

“Anyone who would like to take a pillow to the face, step right up” Lucifer smirked, feeling awfully proud of his one hit KO.

“Lucifer, I’ll help you reload! Tossing more pillows your way” Diavolo claimed as he effortlessly piled a tower of pillows on his shoulder like the worlds best lumberjack.

The oldest brother smiled at his companion. “Got it, Diavolo! Just leave the rest to me” he took two pillows and hurled them with all his strength towards Asmodeus, who managed to dodge one and then got hit by the second. Lucifer was calculating in his strategy and was able to read his opponents moves, Asmodeus was the next to fall in battle.

Beel gasped as he saw the damage. “T-that pillow he just threw made a HOLE in the bed!” The group turned to observe and it was true, there was a small rectangular chunk missing from the mattress of Ems bed.

“Well I’m glad I moved..” Em laughed nervously, whilst gripping on tighter to Levi. 

Diavolo and Lucifer showed no mercy and kept at their teamwork, taking out each person one by one, even Luke and Simeon. However they’d been a bit kinder to the angelfolk. Only Levi and Em remained standing due to the surprisingly agile otaku countering every hit Lucifer threw.

Lucifer tutted at him “Levi..step away from Em, you know for a fact I wouldn’t harm her, that’s why you’re using her as a shield isn’t it?”

“LOL y-you wouldn’t hurt me right Luci, I’m your little brother and well technically I’m the one who’s shielding her so you’re not one hundred percent cor-” Levi panted as he saw the glint in his oldest brothers eyes, he was all out of energy. Diavolo chuckled; rather amused by the display.

Levi shut his eyes, awaiting his doom. But it never came. He squinted as he heard the demon prince roaring with laughter, Lucifer held his mouth agape, Em had struck him with her full strength as he had set his sights on the purple haired brother. 

_D-did Em save me from Lucifer?_

_Noooooooo_

Levi recoiled in horror and expected his brother to completely lose it, but Lucifers lip trembled and a rare smile graced his lips as he chuckled. “Not bad Em...not bad at all.” 

The fight lasted for a few more minutes, but Diavolo and Lucifer came out victorious. The Demon Prince had sought vengeance on his comrade and effortlessly sweeped both Em and Levi in one clean hit, thankfully not using his full strength.

* * *

Ems POV 

When Em came around everyone was gone except her, Asmodeus and Simeon. The angel was fast asleep and looked to be nursing a bit of a headache. 

Asmodeus crawled over to her, still a little out of things himself. “ _Em..you’re awake! Good. Did you have fun tonight~ I saw your man protecting you~~”_

Em bit her lip trying not to giggle incase she woke up Simeon. “ _It was SO much fun, I never expected Diavolo and Lucifer to be so..well..good. They completely destroyed us though, Diavolo took me and Levi out in one hit after I struck Lucifer…”_

_Levi was absolutely incredible tonight, the way he defended me from their attacks!_

_I definitely believe that he's a Grand Admiral now._

Asmo had to stifle his voice. “ _You STRUCK Lucifer? Em do you have a deathwish?”_ he snapped his mouth shut. The topic of the dungeon was buzzing around in his head now, and the next thing Em said sent alarm bells in the Avatar of Lust's mind.

“ _Well I only struck him because he was about to take Levi out…”_ she pouted innocently, not realizing that Asmodeus had turned into his serious mode. He scooted down the bed and sat next to her, sighing as he prepared to knock her out of her good vibe.

 _“Em...I need to talk to you about the situation with your leg. Why in DEVILDOM did you knock me out of the way? It wouldn’t have killed me you know, maybe hurt or stung a little bit but that’s it.”_ He looked at her with a concerned expression. " _You seem to have a fetish for..sacrificing yourself"_

“ _I...I’m sorry I don’t know why! I just heard the click of the trap and saw a glint of silver opposite your chest, it’s not like I wanted to..hurt myself.”_ She admitted, Em hadn’t even had a chance to think about her action in the dungeon and it had felt more like an instinct than an opportunity.

“ _Are you sure? I..I remember you telling me you used to hurt yourself back in the human realm. You’re not still..thinking of those things right?”_

_“N-no, to be honest with you I’ve not thought about that since...that night with Lucifer in the tomb.”_

_“Right, what the hell happened in that tomb Em, tell me!”_ Asmo yelled in a whisper, causing Simeon to murmur in his sleep.

Em recounted the events of the underground tomb, minus a few details like Beel talking about Belphie and Lillith. Asmodeus recoiled in horror. “ _He tried to..what?! Oh I swear, my eldest brother really needs to watch his temper. I’ve told you before I’m not a fan of violence but if he ever tries to harm you again I will make him scream all night long, and not in the good way.”_ he huffed in distress. “ _And I knew Mammon was stupid but sending you down there willingly? What an absolute scumbag.”_

The human girl winced for the platinum haired brother, she hadn’t meant to lower his reputation in the eyes of his brother. “ _But I don’t blame him, I was terrified of Lucifer too, but lately I’ve noticed he-he’s not THAT scary. Just a little strict is all, and if we forget the whole trying to kill me thing he seems like a nice guy deep down.”_

Asmo facepalmed, the sound of the slap causing the angel to shift in his sleep again. _“Em I think Lucifer hit you too hard tonight...did you just call him a nice guy? Well.. if you really say you didn’t mean to hurt yourself last night I’ll believe you. But PLEASE be more careful in the future, if Solomon hadn’t have been with us then you could’ve died...AND if you’d jumped a second earlier that spike could’ve hit you in the chest.”_

Em gasped at the thought, she really hadn’t thought things through. But he was right at the end of the day, she had to think more carefully about herself. The demons were all immortal and could only be killed in extraordinary circumstances, whereas Em was like a meaty squishy blood bag just waiting to be stepped on. “ _I..I’m so sorry Asmo..I really didn’t mean to worry you so much, I’ll be honest with you...my depression might not ever totally go away; it doesn’t work like that, but I promise in this moment in time I want to live...I...I will concentrate on what I want in my life and right now I.._ ” she blushed in the darkness. “ _I want to imagine the possibilities with Levi.”_

_“Good. you hold on to that feeling please, I think Levi would be really good for you I honestly do...the both of you suit eachother.”_

_“Hah well that would depend if he felt the same…”_ she sighed staring up at the ceiling wistfully.

 _“Well...you never know, he might~”_ Asmodeus teased, before they both called it a night. It had been a very long and eventful day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok that title was begging to be chosen.
> 
> This was SO much fun to write (I adlibbed from the lesson a bit)! I'll be honest I've never had the pleasure to experience a pillow fight (maybe I'm Diavolo) but now I want to :(
> 
> Next chapter: Last day of the trip and I'll throw a visit with our Belphs in because it's been..oops 8 chapters since we last saw him (don't hate me Belphie it's just hard to include your visits when there's so much fluff goin' on)


	43. Questions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satan enjoys a morning stroll, and absolutely nothing out of the ordinary happens. Levi talks with Beel and Em visits Belphie.

Whilst everyone else in the group retreat slept Satan had other plans, it had been a few days since his last morning stroll and he was more than excited to stretch his legs for some alone time. Recently he’d been quite down about Abbadon, the evening of the party he’d escorted her home and something happened between them; but then she stopped before they could rekindle their flame entirely and had told him she had met someone else, apologizing by text for being so forward with him the next morning.

It had sent Satan's world crashing down on him, he still loved Abbadon deeply. He felt stupid for clinging on to her after all those years apart but he couldn’t help it, after they’d broken up he realized how he’d felt about her, but kept his feelings to himself and over time she got over him but he stayed the same, unwavering. His love for her never changing over the decades. Last night he hadn't meant to snap at the small angel or take his anger out on anyone else for that matter, but he was struggling to contain his emotions right now.

He exhaled as he plucked a few flowers from the ground, ripping the petals up aggressively “Levi doesn’t know how lucky he is, at least he wouldn’t have to watch Em fall for someone else when she leaves...”

Suddenly he heard footsteps, and two familiar voices. The blonde haired brother dived into a nearby hedge and kept himself still as he listened intently. It was Diavolo and Lucifer.

Lucifer sighed heavily with his back turned to the hedge, the Demon Prince chuckled at the exasperation.

“What? Is there something amusing about hearing me sigh?” he frowned.

Diavolo shrugged and scratched his chin. “Not at all, I was just a little surprised to see the fun loving side to you last night. Enough to enjoy a pillow fight at the very least..”

“I’ll have you know it wasn’t for my enjoyment, I was just punishing them for their insolence.” Lucifer rolled his eyes and shook his head, Diavolo was quite a handful sometimes.

The Demon Prince elbowed him playfully. “Are you sure about that? Because to me it seemed like you were enjoying it”

“If I enjoyed it I wouldn’t be sighing right now would I?” Lucifer facepalmed, it was far too early for Diavolo’s teasing.

Diavolo turned serious all of a sudden. “Tell me then. What’s the real reason you’re sighing for. It’s just the two of us right now, I think Barbatos is still outside the manor. But everyone else is still asleep, you did make sure they’d sleep well last night” he chortled.

“Actually..I believe you were the one who took care of Leviathan and Em, Diavolo.” Lucifer smirked. The Demon Prince hadn’t held back on the duo.

“Ah yes haha! I may have gotten a little carried away, but that was for your sake Lucifer. I must say Em surprised me last night, who would’ve thought someone would dare strike you?” He stopped laughing and pierced his golden eyes into his friend. “So tell me, what’s up. You can trust me right?”

Lucifer furrowed his brow and paced up and down infront of the demon prince, who was waiting patiently. “I’m...concerned for Leviathan.”

“Leviathan? The shut in?” Diavolo scratched his chin, he wasn’t the best with picking the brothers apart even after all these years. “Why, what’s he done?”

“Yes the shut in...at least he used to be. His relationship with Em is..troubling me.” he looked down at the floor and chewed on his lip in deep thought.

“His relationship?” Diavolo frowned.

“Don’t you think the two of them seem a little too cosy for your liking? Though I suppose you wouldn’t know, but back at the House those two are oddly comfortable with each other.”

Diavolo chuckled, thinking his friend was overthinking this way too much.“Well from what I’ve seen they just look like good friends to me, close yes. But about as close as you and me! What’s the harm with that? “

“You..really think so?” Lucifer raised an eyebrow, either Diavolo was trying to hit on him right now or maybe he was just jumping to conclusions. “Do i really have to mention... _her_ to you? I’m worried if my brother does harbour inappropriate feelings for Em then he will meet the same fate. Need I remind you, we fell from grace for a reason Lord. My sister fell in love with a human, and our father was outraged that she dared to extend that mans lifespan. What’s to stop my idiotic brother to have that same thought process?”

“Ahhh yes, I remember now. But I don’t think he’ll meet the EXACT same fate, as you know...we took care of that. Besides, the humans and angels will be leaving once the year is up, I really don’t think you have anything to worry about; she’s close with Solomon too right? That little display yesterday was rather romantic wouldn’t you agree? But..if you’re still stressed, you could talk to Leviathan about it, figure out his true intentions and if you have to, push him in the right direction.”

The crimson eyed demon pinched his nose and frowned, with a hint of sadness to his voice. “He doesn’t trust me, he just lies and talks gibberish. None of them talk to me properly anymore, I..I think I’ve ruined my bond with them forever.” he sighed. “Perhaps I am too harsh on all of them…even the leech.”

Satan raised an eyebrow at that remark but kept quiet, feeling a pang of sorrow for his older brother amongst many other emotions right now.

“Hey..you’ve been through a lot.” Diavolo patted Lucifer on the back. “I understand why you’re keeping things from them, but..this worrying, it doesn’t suit you at all old friend. I mean come on! This is a wonderful opportunity, demons and humans putting aside their differences and forming a bond? It’s exactly what I hoped for when I proposed the idea to the elders, and if things go as planned RAD will be a success and the Devildom and my father will have a lot less to worry about.”

He looked up towards the demon prince with curiosity. “I suppose you’re right...by the way Diavolo, you still haven’t told me. What exactly is the purpose of RAD? You don’t expect my brothers to take these lessons until the end of time itself do you?”

Diavolo sweated a little and smiled warmly, a little flustered. “I’m afraid I cannot tell even you, Lucifer. That information is classified…”

Lucifer narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “Very well...at the very least may I ask why Em was chosen? There were plenty of human candidates to choose from other than her, some more suitable for the Devildom infact.”

Diavolo kept the innocent smile and shrugged. “I’m afraid I can’t tell you that either. All I can say is, there is a reason she was chosen, quite a simple one.”

Feeling a little annoyed at the secrecy the older brother huffed. “Well what about Solomon then, hm? Or is that classified too my Lord.” he gritted his teeth in frustration.

“Ah now that I can answer! Solomon was actually recommended to me.” He beamed, thankful he could answer at least one question for his friends sake.

“By whom?”

“I...I’m actually not sure now I think about it, his file was just on my desk one morning with a note attached to it saying he was a good candidate and well..you know how busy I get, I had thousands of other applicants to look at so, I considered that a formal recommendation and had him accepted.” Diavolo drummed his fingers on his arm and looked like he was thinking about something.

“Honestly, cutting corners..you’re the Demon Prince aren’t you? Very well, I suppose Solomon isn’t the worst choice.”

"Yes and because of that very reason, I HAD to cut corners. Do you have any idea how many hours I work a day? Anyway I’m starving let’s go get some breakfast!” Diavolo grabbed Lucifer by the arm and pulled him towards the manor as they marched.

“It’s bad to eavesdrop on people you know, I can’t say I approve of you sneaking around, Satan.”

The green eyed demon snapped his head around and came face to face with the mint haired demon butler, just how long had been standing there behind him.

“W-well what about you?” Satan said, dusting himself off as he stood up, picking leaves out of his blonde hair. “What are you doing here, Barbatos?”

“It’s my job to stay close to Lord Diavolo, so I can serve him better.”

“I’m guessing you heard that too then…” Satan said.

“Yes, I heard the same thing you did.” He smiled a little too hard at the eavesdropping brother.

Satan sucked on his cheek. “Well what do you think then, about Em being chosen for the exchange problem? An average human suddenly dropped into the Devildom, yet manages to woo each of us and form pacts willy nilly. No one should be that good. Plus she can’t even practice magic...don’t you think it’s a little..strange?”

Barbatos chuckled. “Who knows? Maybe it wasn’t an accident but an inevitability?”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Satan narrowed his eyes.

The demon butler peered his head over towards the manor. “I believe you should be heading back inside Satan, breakfast will be served soon. Take care now.” Before Satan could press further questions Barbatos stalked back towards the group retreat, raising even further questions in the introverts mind.

“What in Devildom is going on here?” He muttered as he also made his way back inside.

* * *

_Ugh my head….last night was fun though._

_I still can’t believe Em hit Lucifer in the face and lived to tell the tale._

_Ah. I still haven’t had a chance to talk to her about...that._

Levi scrunched his eyes open and looked around the room, Beel was snoring loudly and Luke was sprawled across his bed like a starfish. Last night after Diavolo got a critical hit on him Levi had somehow meandered back to his own room, with Beel carrying the unconscious cherub.

It was their last day in the retreat and even though they’d only spent two nights here a lot had happened, and Levi felt himself getting rather homesick. He missed Henry 2.0; his PC, his bedtub and his sofa. And the ability to be able to spend time with Em without his brothers clinging on to her was also a plus.

_And we STILL didn’t get to watch or read any animé together!_

_Wait. we have free time today...the coach doesn’t come to pick us up till 1pm._

He grabbed his DDD to type out a good morning text, it was only 7:30am; quite early for him. 

Leviathan: Good morning, I hope your head is okay :(  
  
Leviathan: Sorry if this wakes you ^^

It didn’t take long before he saw her name flash green and she was typing out a response. He grinned down at the little three dots on the screen and leant his head back on the pillow as he waited for her reply.

Em: Good morning! You’re up early o.o

Em: My head is fine, I think poor Simeon got the brunt of it.

Em: Last night was sooooo fun though! 

He chuckled at her enthusiasm, considering she had told him a few months ago was no longer the bright or cheery person she was when she was younger, Em always managed to put a smile on Levi’s face.

Leviathan: Hah well so are you, tbh I thought it was a lot later when I first woke up.

Leviathan: Yeah Simeon seemed to be the victim last night...especially when Satan got aggro-ed LOL

Leviathan: I was actually wondering what you were up to today?

Leviathan: We’ve got a few hours to kill and I’ve got all this unread manga and animé that has been awfully neglected this weekend ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Em: YES

Em: We’ve not been able to weeb out for the entire trip and it’s physically hurting me ಥ_ಥ

Leviathan: LOL weeb out

Leviathan: I agree though </3 my heart is aching to hear SOMETHING in Japanese

Em: Well Simeon and Luke are sorting out some paperwork and other angel stuff before we leave and Asmodeus has a date with Barbatos in the bar.

Em: So we can do it in my room!

_Em...phrasing!_

Leviathan: That sounds great! I’ll see you at breakfast? ^^

Leviathan: I’m going to pack now so there’s no messing about before we leave.

Leviathan: See you in an hour :)

Em: Oh good idea! I’ll do the same ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Em: And yes, I’ll see you soon (ᵔᴥᵔ)

He smiled down at the messages, just how did he get so lucky as to meet someone like her? Keeping his word, Levi tore himself out of the sheets and lazily started grabbing his things from around the room, their room was a pig sty. Empty packets of food, clothes just flung all over the floor and then Luke's corner of the room was pristine and sparkling clean. Levi couldn’t help but feel relieved that they’d be watching things in Ems room. 

It didn’t take long for him to finish packing, and as he crept out of the bathroom after changing into some fresh clothes and brushing his teeth he heard a low yawn.

“Mornin’!” Beel stretched and shook his head. “Ugh, I’m feeling really groggy today; say Levi when we get back later do you fancy going for a jog with me? I can feel my limbs getting all sloppy.”

The purple haired demon nodded. “Sure! But I do need to check on Henry when we get back, I know Lucifer trusts the kitchen demons to look after Henry and Cerberus but last time they didn’t feed Henry the right amount of food…” he said worryingly.

“Awesome, but I'm sure he's fine...a fish can't be that hard to take care of right? So..you and Em were quite the team last night, I was almost jealous of you…” Beel chuckled. “You two are so cute together it makes me nauseous.” he sighed contentedly. Beel had never really had an interest in a lasting relationship before, he had had girlfriends in the past but never really knew how to behave. But seeing the way his brother and friend were with one another was making him reconsider. “Do you think I’ll ever meet someone who gets me?”

Levi looked at his brother baffled, he knew Beel had never really cared about dating or attraction before. “LOL what’s up with you? I-I mean I’m sure you will..I have...I just have to work on getting her to be mine.”

"Nothin..just feeling sentimental I guess hehe" The red haired glutton raised an eyebrow. “ So..does that mean you’re gonna confess?”

The otaku sighed. “I’m...still not sure about that, I still don’t know what happened between her and Solomon yesterday, plus the whole tomb thing has me a little scared. Would it be right to confess to someone who isn’t happy with their life? To be honest I feel like I’ve been selfish lately, all I’ve been thinking of is myself and how I feel; I didn’t stop to think about how she might feel if- if she did like me back and we dated, do you think she’d be alright after the year was up?”

Beel looked at him and frowned, scrunching his face up regretfully. “Yeah that’s a good point. But hey, you’re not selfish! You need to stop beating yourself up, bro. This is your first experience with this sort of thing so be a little more forgiving to yourself.” He folded his arms in deep thought and his amethyst eyes sparked as an idea came to him. “If you really want to help cure Em’s depression you could always ask Satan's advice; I’m pretty sure he has a collection of psychology books?”

Levi scratched his chin. “Yeah actually that’s a good idea… I mean he knows how I feel about her now so I’m wondering if he’d be willing to help.”

“Anyway,come here you!” Beel embraced him into a bear hug, crushing his smaller brother in the process. “Who knew I’d ever be giving life advice to my shut in brother who never ever showed any interest in anything but his cartoon girlfriend.”

Levi tore himself out of the hug and gasped for breath, smiling in slight irritation. “Not a cartoon...but you’re right.”

It hadn’t occurred to the two brothers that the small angel had woken up, he was now sitting on the edge of his bed with his arms folded, glaring at the back of Leviathan's head like he was at war about something; finally he spoke. “So..it’s like that is it?”

_SHIT I FORGOT HE WAS HERE!_

The two demons felt their blood run cold and snapped their heads around at the cherub, he had a slight tinge of blush on his face and averted his gaze. “Maybe...I was wrong about you.” That was all he said and then he hoisted himself up and slammed the bathroom door closed.

Beel and Levi looked at eachother, baffled. Had Luke just tried to apologize for his behaviour? Levi couldn’t help but smile a little, maybe he had finally made into the angels good books and he’d stop giving him such a hard time.

Unfortunately it took all but ten minutes before Luke reverted to his tsundere nature. “....Demon DID YOU... USE _MY_ TOOTHBRUSH?” He whipped out a small blue toothbrush that had recently been used as the bristles were still damp.

_Ohhhhhh..shit. Well that’s what you get for putting it right next to mine!_

He grinned sheepishly in response, wishing that Luke would go easy on him, but from the raised voice and the glare that was a wasted prayer .“Ooops..I might’ve..”

“That’s disgusting, ew! I take it back you’re vile, scum of the three realms.” Luke held his hand to his mouth and retched like he was about to vomit. The idea of sharing a demon's germs made him sick to his stomach.

“I’m sorry! You have the same colour as mine it was an easy mistake to make..plus I’m still out of it after being beaten to a pulp by Lord Diavolo.” Levi sighed, knowing exactly what was coming.

_3,2,1…_

“Well if you touch my things ever again, I’m telling Michael about your dirty disgusting feelings towards Em! And I’ll tell Simeon and HER! Don’t underestimate me just because I’m only three hundred!” He barked at the towering demon, who just rolled his eyes, sick of the same repeating threat.

Beel frowned sympathetically. “Luke, you wouldn’t really do that would you? Don’t you think that’s a bit...mean for an angel?”

Luke huffed and averted his gaze. “If it’s to protect the human then I’ll do it, even if it means I get a lesson in empathy!” 

“So because I..used your toothbrush BY ACCIDENT you’re willing to spill my deepest secret and potentially ruin my friendship with her? Dude...are you sure you’re not the demon here?” Levi muttered. He was pretty pissed that the cherub was willing to blackmail him like this, then again he expected it. It was foolish of him to think Luke had changed his views just due to that eavesdropping earlier.

“Hey guys c’mon!” Beel ran in between the two before things got ugly, unsure if he should protect Luke from Levi or vice versa from the sparks of hatred that crackled between the two as they burned their eyes into each other. “L-let’s go get breakfast, yeah? Man I’m starving!”

Luke rolled his eyes. “You ALWAYS are.” and stamped his feet, spitting out air at Levi.

_Ughhhhhh, just a few more hours and then I’m free of this dog._

_I can see why Em is a cat person…_

Levi couldn’t get down to the breakfast table quick enough and made sure he sat on a completely different table from Luke, Beel couldn’t help but chuckle through the tension. He had a feeling Luke might just be acting this way because he didn’t know to apologize to his brother and was looking for an excuse to resent him again.

As they grabbed a plate of food each, they heard footsteps. The first to arrive was their book loving brother, but Satan looked oddly troubled this morning. Frowning more than usual he threw himself down with force next to Levi and leaned in whispering to his brothers who both looked at him in concern. _“I need to talk to you about something, all of you.”_

“W-what are you talking about?” Levi said in an equally hushed tone, his face plastered with confusion.

Beel stared at him with a mouthful of pancakes, unable to talk but he tilted his head.

 _“Shhh! not here, I'll message you later._ ” Satan cleared his throat innocently and forced himself to eat something, in complete silence. Anyone could be listening in right now, and after the unsettling conversation he had heard earlier plus his small talk with Barbatos it had formed knots in his stomach.

Levi drummed his fingers on the table and scratched the back of his head.

_What in Devildom was that about? Satan’s usually really calm but he looked...worried._

They were soon joined by the others, so Levi was unable to press his brother for any more information. But now he couldn’t help but feel that same pit in his stomach that unbeknown to him Satan also felt. Mammon yawned and took a seat opposite the three brothers, Asmodeus planted himself on the end of the table, he rested his elbows against the oak and sighed. “Sooo..why’s everyone so quiet this morning?What’s going on~”

The three brothers that had arrived first just glanced awkwardly at each other as Lucifer stepped into the hall with Diavolo, they exchanged a few words and then the oldest sibling pulled a chair over, sitting just to the left of Satan who felt extremely anxious.

“What are you all harping on about this morning hmm?” He smirked. Satan kicked Beels chair under the table.

The red haired glutton swallowed down his food forcefully.“W-we were uhh just talking about how fun this trip has been y’know apart from the dungeon thing the other night...hah” 

Em was the last to arrive, looking a little stressed . “S-sorry about that, I couldn’t find my Zwitch and then I looked everywhere for it; emptied out my suitcase, threw the pillows everywhere and then...wouldn’t you know it; it was on top of the dresser.” She slammed her head against the table and groaned. “So I just had to re-pack everything…”

Levi chuckled. “And you tell me that I’m unorganised” he said in a teasing tone. Asmodeus glanced at his purple haired brother and smirked. 

_She’s so cute_

“Well Ems just got a lot of things on her mind lately is all, or should I say just one thing on her mind. Especially after yesterday~” He suppressed a laugh, knowing for a fact that comment was going to send Levi barking up the white oak tree instead. 

The raven haired girl hung her mouth open and lightly kicked the demon under the table, looking incredibly panicked. Lucifer's interest piqued and he shifted his gaze towards the white haired sorcerer sitting with the angels near the back of the hall, praying that this statement was about him and not his brother.

_Is he hinting that she likes...Solomon?_

Levi felt a sharp pang in his chest at the thought, and the remark his brother had made. Em did sound concerned about the sorcerer last night. Levi couldn’t help but let it get to him and stood up.

“I’m just gonna go get some juice, anyone want anything?” He mumbled, trying to hide the pain in his voice. Beel, Mammon and Satan looked at him anxiously; knowing for a fact that he’d been bothered at what Asmodeus had said.

Everyone shook their heads and watched him amble his way over to the serving table.

As he grabbed the pitcher of orange and began pouring he felt a light tapping on his arm and turned around. “So, what animé are we watching!” It was none other than Em, beaming up at him. Oblivious to the bitterness he was currently feeling.

_I wasn’t expecting her to follow after me..._

He put on his best smile. “Whatever you want, it’s your choice today. Call it my apology for being a grumpy asshole yesterday”. He laughed, not noticing he was still pouring the juice absentmindedly.

Em raised an eyebrow and stifled a giggle. “Uhh want any glass with that juice?” she said as she gestured towards the overflowing drink.

Levi furrowed his brow at her and then finally realized he’d gotten lost in thought again.“O-oh shit!” He tilted the pitcher up instantly and planted it back down on the table, causing the kitchen staff to groan, another mess they’d have to clean up on their already very little pay. “S-sorry, I wasn’t paying attention..” Levi chuckled awkwardly.

_Why do I always have to do stupid things around you Em?_

_No wonder you’re after Solomon.._

“Pfffft that makes both of us this morning..maybe Diavolo swept us so hard that we lost a few brain cells.” She giggled back, looking at the liquid dripping down the sides of the table and glanced towards the disgruntled kitchen demons glaring daggers into the back of Leviathan.

Em smiled at them and mouthed an apology, grabbing a few napkins from the table; mopping up whatever she could with haste.” Well if I get to choose..hmmm..ugh no, you don’t like romance do you?”

“I-I’m not against it!” he shouted a little too loudly in his eagerness. “I actually brought Fruits Hamper, it’s not the remake though sadly.. I did order Season 1 but it hasn’t arrived yet”

“I LOVE FRUITS HAMPER!” she yelled at the top of her lungs, causing everyone in the room to turn their heads at the couple. “S-sorry…but seriously that’s one of my all time favourites!” Em suddenly pouted. “But we won’t be able to binge it all...there’s 24 episodes and we only have three hours so uhh that means uhh..” the cogs slowly started to turn in her mind but grinded to a halt, maths was never her strong point.

Levi giggled. “We’d need roughly 12 hours to watch it all, so we can probably watch about 8 episodes before we have to leave.” then an idea struck. “Or if you sit by me on the coach home we can watch it together on my phone? With headphones of course.”

"But...I thought you didn't like earbuds?" 

"Huh, when did I say that?"

She winced, this was going to come off very strange from her, remembering something from so long ago. But honestly she'd been touched that the otaku had obviously come to check on her that evening, claiming he'd just bumped into her. "W-when you ran into me on the stairs...after that first night here."

"You remembered that? Damn.." He shook his head and smiled, impressed for remembering that tiny detail about him. "Umm desperate times call for desperate measures! You'll have to make it up to me sometime in the future for putting my poor ears through that torture."

“Deal!” Em walked back over to the table with haste and winced at Mammon. “Sorry Mammon, do you mind if I sit by Levi on the coach later? We’re binging!” 

Mammon groaned. “Aww really?” but then he looked at his brother who was pleading for some mercy. “I guess...I did sit next to you on the way here so it’s only fair.”

Asmodeus frowned. “Oh but I wanted to sit next to her! Em are you really dumping me~ didn’t you want to talk more about that thing.”

Levi raised his eyebrow. “What thing?”

“N-nothing! N-nevermind” She bowed apologetically to Asmodeus and Mammon. “I’m sorry guys but..it’s FRUITS HAMPER.” they both looked at her confused and then sighed collectively, she was almost as bad as Leviathan when it came to animé these days.

Everyone finished their food and went separate ways, apart from Levi and Em who practically ran back to her room. The two enjoyed a much needed three hour binge before it was finally time to leave and return home.

“Well this was an eventful trip, but the pillow fight really turned it around. It was a wonderful experience!” Diavolo praised the angels for their organizational skills causing everyone else to raise an eyebrow; even Simeon himself.

“Em I’ll miss you! Make sure you message me okay?” Luke embraced her, clinging on to her leg as Simeon tried to pry him off her.

“Come on Luke.” Solomon ruffled the cherub's hair. “The coach is waiting outside and we don’t want to miss it..” he glanced over awkwardly at Em and winced, shaking his head as Barbatos observed the interactions. “We’ll see you all soon” the demon butler interjected, ushering everyone towards their vehicles.

The otaku demon couldn’t help but note the odd behaviour Solomon had towards Em, and it just raised further self esteem issues and seeds of doubt in his mind as she looked over at the sorcerer with a regretful expression. But at the very least he was looking forward to spending the next three hours of his life with her by his side.

_I’m so greedy, we just spent all morning together but it’s just never enough._

_Every day that passes I just want her more and more._

It had been longer than the journey there but Levi wanted time to stop; Em had kept her promise and sat next to him for the entire drive; situated right at the back of the coach away from everyone's prying eyes. Unfortunately their time was at an end and as they reached the mid season mark Lucifer announced that they’d be reaching the House in ten minutes time.

“Noooooo! That’s not even enough time for a whole other episode” Em whined, causing the earbud to pop out due to her throwing her head back in defeat.

The purple haired demon jolted upright at the raised voice, he had been so comfortable with their heads leaned against each other that he’d started to drift off a little. “H-hey it’s okay, we can watch the rest when we get home?” 

“Ugh I’d love that but..I- I can’t tonight I’m sorry.” Em bit her lip, she had to nap for a few hours so she was wide awake to go check on Belphie. She had worried about his well being the entire duration of the trip and wondered if anyone was feeding him; he’d told her that Lucifer wouldn’t let him starve, but that didn’t calm her anxiety for him.

“O-oh that’s a shame, tomorrow after you finish work then?” He pouted.  
  
“Sure!” she grimaced, feeling guilty. Em had nearly slipped up to him about the whereabouts of the seventh brother on multiple occasions, but Belphie had wanted it to remain secret for some reason.

The coach soon came to a halt and everyone grabbed their luggage, thanked the driver demon and pulled themselves towards the House. Levi didn’t even get a chance to talk to Em when they arrived home and she paced towards her room exhausted after the long trip and pent up from spending three hours by his side. Satan was also quiet but no-one expected any different and he skulked off towards his study, not knowing how to really approach the other brothers.

* * *

Em glanced down at her DDD after peeling her eyes open, it was 2am. Time to go and visit her favourite little gaslighter. She threw some jeans on and made her way to the kitchen, creeping down the corridors on edge in case she was spotted.

After successfully grabbing a few handfuls of sushi, and some water she snuck back towards her room but took a diversion up the stone staircase.

Belphegor was strangely awake, and hadn’t heard her come up. He was transfixed, looking through the large telescope at the starry night sky outside, it was only when she coughed to announce herself that he found himself smiling; just a little.

Belphie snapped his head around and raised an eyebrow. “Ahh you’re back, did you all have fun without me? You know I’ve been wasting away up here whilst you’ve been running around gallivanting with my brothers.”

Em grew concerned for him. “Wait you told me they’d feed you!” she whipped out the large bag she’d brought stuffed with food and passed it through the weakness in the barrier.

“Relax..I’m kidding..” Belphie couldn’t help but chuckle dryly at her panicked reaction. “So, what presents did you bring me this time?” he said as he accepted the bag, as he opened it he felt a pang of remorse in his chest, but quickly reminded himself what pain humans had caused for him, and all of his brothers. 

_Is he..laughing?!_

_How long were we gone for?_

_Oh I broke poor Belphie._

Em couldn’t help but be taken back a little at Belphie laughing so genuinely, there was no cold or mocking tone to it tonight and she began to grow hopeful that absence had made his heart grow a little fonder of her, even just a pinch. As she watched him take out the sushi and raise an eyebrow at the bottle of water she explained herself. “It’s been awhile since I saw you and I just wanted to make sure you were fed properly, I’ve been so worried about you!”

He narrowed his eyes at her and pouted. “Really you’ve been worried? I take it that means you’ve made another pact then..right? Because you can’t stand the thought of me being locked in here any longer.”

_I COMPLETELY forgot about the pacts.._

_Ugh I’m so sorry Belphie, too much happened._

The doe eyed girl bit her lip and stammered. “W-well I-I uhhh.. “ and watched his expression turn ice cold once more. 

“Ugh seriously? You know you’re a really poor excuse for a hero...what was it this time? Were you all having picnics and counting the amount of flowers in the fields?” He shrugged, feeling a little offended.

“I’m sorry Belphie!” he grit his teeth at the use of his beloved nickname.”A lot of things happened…” she blushed a little, remembering the pillow fight last night; the realization of her feelings for Levi and unfortunately the first evening when they’d all gotten trapped in the dungeons. 

The navy haired demon sighed as he watched her face turn pink again, and crossed his arms.”Ugh I get it, you were too busy flirting with them, nice to see you have your priorities sorted…” he frowned, feeling his hatred deepening as she sat just inches away from the seals weakness. But no, he had to bide his time and wait for the right opportunity. 

He forced a smile. “So care to tell me everything that happened and why it was so interesting that you didn’t form another pact to help save me?” he said it in a cruel sarcastic tone.

_I’m sorry! I can tell you’re mad at me.._

_I’ll make it up to you Belphie._

She sheepishly scratched the back of her head and recounted the events of the trip, excluding the Levi bits, the youngest brother wasn’t stupid though and noticed how she seemed to pause a lot when she was talking; and it was about the only time she didn’t drone on about his otaku brother.

“Wow it sounds like you had quite the experience...did you and Levi have a falling out or something?”

“H-huh?”

“Well it's just you usually talk about him until the cows come home” he laughed dryly at his pun.As the Avatar of Sloth Belphies demonic form resembled that of a cow, plus his favourite pillow was black and white. “So I hope nothing’s happened between you, although I know Leviathan can be a bit stupid and petty sometimes…”

_Ugh whoops, I underestimated him.._

_Well, would there really be any harm in him knowing? He can’t exactly run off and tell anyone can he?_

Em gulped, she hadn’t expected him to really take that much notice in her spiel but then this was Belphie; he may have looked a little lazy and out of it on the outside but on the inside seemed to be a very complex character. “N-no we’re fine, honestly! I uhh..well….”

Belphegor slumped and rolled his eyes “Oh for Mephisto’s sake, just spit it out...you like him don’t you? It’s _painfully_ obvious.” He had grown tired of her denial for all these weeks; it irritated him more than when Beel would slurp soup at dinner.

“I..I do…” Em blushed, wincing a little. The slothful demon widened his eyes in surprise, he assumed she’d blush, flail around and then deny it like she always did when the subject of liking someone romantically was brought up.

He snapped out of his shock, what did he even care about this? It was no good if he got invested emotionally into the life of a human. “Well..you’ve grown a bit of a spine since you were off having pillow fights and fighting witches, good for you.” He chewed the inner corner of his mouth. “So are you and my brother an item now or what?”

“N-no! I..I only realized it on the trip and I haven’t had a chance to think about that sort of thing yet…” she fidgeted nervously.

“I’ll remind you again then, so you really can think about what you’re doing. We’re thousands of years old...we’ve been through more things than you can ever hope to imagine. You know dating a demon wouldn’t be all sunshine and lollipops; this isn’t some teen romance novel like Daylight. I am...curious though, why him? Leviathan is..I suppose he’s a nice guy but he’s a complete idiot and he can be quite creepy at times.” Belphie took a few pieces of sushi out and popped them into his mouth, he wasn’t interested in why she had taken a fancy to his brother, not really; he was more curious as to how his brother had charmed someone so much. And although it had been a while since he last saw Levi he was concerned for him.

_I’m surprised he even knows what Daylight is..the book I mean._

_But the sun too I suppose._

She smiled lovingly as she spoke about the otaku, and repeated the same thing she had told Asmodeus the previous evening. Belphie tried to hide his disgust as he sneered at her. “Ugh, maybe I shouldn’t have asked...my sushi isn’t sitting well now.” he held his stomach and patted it.

_He reminds me so much of Beel...well they are twins!_

The sudden familiarity made Em giggle a little at the slothful demon and he glared at her. “What. what’s so funny?” how dare a human laugh in his face so carelessly, especially after he just tried to put her in her place.

“Sorry Belphie it’s just..you really are Beels twin aren’t you?” She gestured towards his hand on his stomach.

“What a stupid comment, of course I’m my twins twin?” he rolled his eyes, but couldn’t help but be a little amused too. “Anyway you should probably go, you’ve been here for a while; and you look tired.”

He ambled towards his favourite napping spot and lay on his side, looking up to her. “Thanks for the food. And...think about what I said.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Blimey this just kept going and going didn't it? I'm sorry for skipping a lot of the fluff with our favourite couple I wanted Belphie in this chapter even if it killed me but with the fluff it just went on for far too long, so I cut it out and I'll rework it into a future chapter <3
> 
> Fun fact: I read this chapter out to my fiancé (sometimes he gets to make decisions I'm stuck on) and he called me out and asked why I won't let my characters be happy ⚆ _ ⚆


	44. Strange

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satan tells the bois what he heard, Levi isn't happy. Em gets a husband.

Levi's POV (the day they got home)  
  
Levi opened the door to his room and breathed in deeply, waves of comfort washed over him as he stepped through; the whirring of the aquarium, the bubbling of the water filter, he’d missed it all. 

“HENRY! I’m sooo happy to see you...ALIVE!” He bolted over to his beloved pet goldfish and pecked the glass bowl, tickling it with his fingers. “You’ll never guess who we ran into….yep..that’s right, your predecessor!” Levi chuckled as he had a one sided conversation with the small orange fish, though it seemed happy at his presence bobbing up and down to the sound of his voice.

After ensuring Henry was in good health and greeting his other fish in the larger aquarium Levi threw himself on his sofa, overwhelmed with joy to be back home.

_We were only gone three days and it felt like three damn years…_

All of a sudden he felt a vibration in his pocket, snapping him out of his thoughts.

**You have been added to a group chat with Satan, Beelzebub, Mammon.**

Mammon: Whoa what’s this? (ʘᗩʘ')

Beelzebub: Is this to do with what you mentioned earlier @Satan?

Satan: Right. I don’t want to discuss this over the phone 

Satan: I need you ALL to meet me, but Lucifer cannot find out. >_>

Mammon: What’s goin’ on ಠ~ಠ

Leviathan: Well me and Beel were going for a jog later

Leviathan: Why don’t you guys join us?

Leviathan: Also why isn’t Asmo here?

Satan: I’m not sure he would be able to keep this secret unfortunately.

Leviathan: C-can you atleast give us something to go on here? I’m a bit worried.

Satan: It involves you.

Satan: And Em.

Levi felt his heart almost stop. If he wasn’t worried before now he was beside himself in internal turmoil.

Satan: Is that enough to go on?

Mammon: Now I’m really confused

Beelzebub: Did Lucifer find out about Levi’s feelings for Em?

Beelzebub: Is that why she’s not in here too?

Satan: CAN YOU ALL

Satan: CALM DOWN!

Satan: @Leviathan @Beel where do you usually meet up for your run?

Beelzebub: We usually go together..but how about we all meet by the lake just before dinner?

Mammon: Sounds good to me, I’ll be over after I’ve sent some food up to Em.

Mammon: Apparently she’s playin some datin’ game or somethin’ so is skippin’ the feast tonight ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Mammon: You and her really are a perfect match @Leviathan

Beelzebub: I think the same :)

_S-she didn’t mention anything about that to me? Why is she playing Otomes all of a sudden?_

Leviathan: Really? She didn’t mention anything about a game to me…

Beelzebub: I’m sure she just forgot to tell you, she was pretty hyped today

Leviathan: yeah... maybe?

Leviathan: She was pretty engrossed in Fruits Hamper earlier LOL

Beelzebubs: The name of that animé makes me hungry :(

Satan: As much as this stresses you out Levi. ^ we’ve got bigger fish to fry right now.

Leviathan: You’re right, sorry! I’ll see you soon. @Beelzebub meet you outside in an hour.

Satan: Okay, just make sure you’re not followed by anyone.

Beelzebub: Roger that.

Mammon: I haven’t got the faintest clue what’s happenin’ right now, but see you guys soon.

_What the hell is going on?! It’s about me…? Now I’m even more worried._

It was an uncomfortably long hour before Levi couldn’t take any more waiting around, he threw his workout gear on so not to draw suspicion if Lucifer happened to see him. His older brother had seemed a little quieter than usual during the coach trip home and barely raised his voice or made a comment to anyone so he was definitely mulling something over in his mind, and it terrified Levi to hear that it involved him and Em.

_Why does he have SUCH a stick up his ass about us?!_

_I should be free to love whoever I want..._

He slammed his door over with a bit too much force, thankfully this time no screws popped out and the hinge remained intact. After Em and Lucifer breaking his door Levi had made the decision to get it replaced entirely with a stronger frame. Turning the corner his breath held in his throat as he saw a glimpse of Lucifer's cloak waving in the breeze, he thankfully had his back turned to the otaku so he was able to sneak by; his older brother was lecturing the staff about their neglect of Cerberus and how he preferred dry food as opposed to tinned.

Finally he made it out of the House, feeling the dread inside him drop; albeit very slightly. He still hadn’t heard what Satan wanted to talk to everyone about, Beel waved him over, leaning against the gate wearing a red tank top and white shorts.  
  
“You ready for..whatever this is?” The glutton asked, frowning with concern.

Levi sighed, grimacing. “Y-yeah I think so...I just had to sneak past Lucifer but he seemed to be droning on about Doggy McDogface to the staff, so he’ll be there awhile.” he lied, he wasn’t ready in the slightest.

“Well if he does catch us, me and you can just act normal, we’re in our running gear. It’s if the others are spotted is what worries me...” The red headed brother glanced nervously back towards the house, praying his brothers wouldn’t be seen. Lucifer would definitely suspect something if Mammon said he was joining them for a jog.

“Yeah same, anyway let's go get this over with; I feel a bit sick to be honest.” The pair hurried their pace as they climbed the path towards the woods. After an excruciating twenty minutes they saw a familiar tuft of blonde hair hiding behind a rock.

“You’re both here, good.” 

“How the hell did you get here so fast?”

“I left as soon as you told me to come to the lake, it looks less suspicious; plus this is one of my favourite stroll spots in the morning.”

_As expected of Satan...good thinking._

Satans DDD suddenly started buzzing, it was a phone call. He threw it to his ear and began talking, mouthing to the brothers that it was Mammon. He was on his way and had told Lucifer he was visiting some succubi tonight; which had earned him a lecture and a look of disgust.

Levi and Beel couldn’t help but chuckle at that as Satan hung up. “Well, he said he’ll be here in a few minutes but I really cannot hold this in any longer, what do you two think of Solomon?”

“That’s..that’s random Satan..” Levi furrowed his brow. “But if you want my honest opinion? The guys scum, why?”

Satan raised an eyebrow and pressed his lips together. “Diavolo told Lucifer that Solomon was personally recommended as a candidate for the exchange program; only he doesn’t know who by...”

“I KNEW IT! I KNEW HE COULDN’T BE TRUSTED!” Levi yelled at the top of his lungs, clenching his fists as the demonic essence welled up inside him. This confirmed the purple haired demons suspicions of the sorcerer there were no ifs or buts about now; something strange was going on and Solomon seemed to have a part in it.

“Calm down Levi! Do you want the entire Devildom to hear us?” Satan slapped his palm in his face and huffed, trying to keep his cool composure.

Beel stared into the lake for what seemed like a long time before speaking.“Hang on guys, we can’t jump to conclusions here. Solomon might’ve been chosen because of his magic; he is one of the top in his class after all.”

“Yeah, that’s what I think too” The Avatar of Wrath stuck his hands behind his back, thinking of some sort of explanation for the sorcerer's behaviour and Diavolo’s comment about him. 

“Shit you’re right...” Levi stamped his foot, he still didn’t trust him as far as he could throw him but it did make sense. “It still doesn’t sit right with me though, remember what Mammon said about Solomon being popular in The Fall? A guy like _him?_ ”

“Wait, what?” Satan said, puzzled at the statement. He had left just before they started talking about Solomon the other night so hadn’t heard Mammons revelation.

Levi recounted the conversation they’d had after he’d slipped away that evening and told him the plan. Satan was just about to disapprove of the idea but they were interrupted.

“Yo! I told you guys I was on my way and ya start without me anyway?” Mammon arrived looking a little flustered, running wasn’t his strong suit and he was wearing his brown biker jacket so had worked up quite a sweat due to Devildoms summer heat.

“My apologies, but do you have any idea how hard it’s been keeping it to myself all day?” Satan sighed, shrugging his shoulders. It had been a very long day for him.

“Well I’m here now so spill it! What’s goin’ on?” Mammon said, impatiently.

Satan leant on the rock and tussled his golden locks. “Okay this may take a while, whilst I was on a morning stroll near the manor I happened to overhear Lucifer with Lord Diavolo. Lucifer was talking about you Levi, your relationship with Em to be exact. He told Diavolo it was concerning him and he was worried you might...do the same thing as Lilith did.”

“Wait, what?! What do you mean…?”

The other brothers went very quiet, but Satan kept talking. “I may not have been created until after you all fell but it was something about our sister extending a human life?”

Levi’s eyes widened, he’d completely forgotten about that fact. It had been so long since the great Celestial War with their father. “Ah….b-but I wouldn’t do that I mean...could I do that? We don’t even have our wings anymore how the hell would I even get to the Eden tree?”

Mammon and Beel pursed their lips at him and narrowed their eyes, the Avatar of Greed didn’t like what Levi was saying. “Oi Levi.. you wouldn’t actually try it would you? Even if you DID make it into the Celestial Realm our father would send ya smackin’ right back down here.” 

_I know they’re right and it IS forbidden, but it would be nice to imagine eternity with her by my side.._

“LOL like I said it’s impossible anyway...w-was that all you wanted to say Satan?” Levi tried to change the subject away from himself and shifted uncomfortably at the prying eyes on him.

“No..when they were talking about Liliths fate and how you might meet the same end, Levi. Diavolo mentioned Lucifer keeping something secret from us and said he “took care of it”, does that sound strange to any of you?” Satan pinched his brow. “They mentioned the purpose of RAD as well..and then..they mentioned Em.”

Everyone's heads snapped up, although they felt like they’d had a similar conversation before when it came to RAD.

“Lucifer asked him what the purpose of us attending RAD was and...Diavolo said the information was classified. Now, we all know our brother is joined at the hip with the Prince so why in Devildom would something be kept from him? Something doesn’t feel right.” The introverted brother sighed once more. “And then Barbatos made a very strange comment as well..when I asked him what he thought about Em he said that it might not be a coincidence she came here but more of an inevitably.”

_Wait what? Like it was planned?_

“That’s really creepy..” Levi recoiled. “And about the academy...didn’t we already have a similar conversation in the past? I’m getting a sense of deja vu..”

Beel pouted. “Man I remember when our life was just simple, long! But simple. No drama…” 

Levi snickered, their life was anything BUT simple. Even before Em joined their ranks there was always an argument, disagreement or something going on between the seven of them. “No drama? Dude we fight every damn day about _something.”_

Mammon nodded in agreement. “Yeah, Levi’s right..for once.” he smirked. “So, Satan what should we do? I mean...maybe we should ask Lucifer about everythin’ maybe he’ll come clean?” he instantly chortled knowing he sounded ridiculous for even thinking that their brother would ever tell them anything.

Satan shook his head and spat air. “Hah you’re joking right? When has that man ever been honest in his life? No, I don’t think we should let on about this; however we need to keep a closer eye on the three of them. I’ll make a private chat for us all to report anything else weird involving them…As for your plan Levi, I don’t think it’s a good idea not yet; we don’t have enough reason to suspect him of foul play yet and if Mammon were caught well there’s no telling what would happen. I know you can’t stand Solomon but you need to try to warm up to him a little; keep your friends close but your enemies closer sort of thing.”

Levi threw his head back in disgust. “You want ME to get closer to that asshole? AFTER EVERYTHING HE’S SAID AND DONE?! Satan I know you’re clever but, that’s the stupidest idea I’ve ever heard. Solomon isn’t an idiot, he’ll know something was up if I suddenly start treating him like besties again.” the purple haired demon huffed and then scratched his chin. “If you don’t want us spying on him then..can’t I just tell Em?”

Satan shook his head in disapproval. “I don’t think that’s a good idea. Em is very close with Solomon; if you went running your mouth off about it I don’t think she’d believe you...and I’m not trying to insult her but Em can be quite scatterbrained, she could slip up or act too cautious around him, and then he’d start to catch on. No, she should be kept in the dark about this.” 

“But wouldn’t it be better to tell her to warn her?!” Levi argued. Satan was incredibly intelligent, sure but he was more of a strategist than someone who acted upon morals.”I think you underestimate her, Satan.”

Beel and Mammon watched the two of them go back and forth like a heated tennis match, saying nothing, it wasn’t the best idea to get involved in a debate with the Avatar of Wrath.

Satan had had it up to here with his emotional otaku brother and his voice was starting to waver as he lost his composure. “I think telling her would be a mistake. If you told her she would ooze anxiety around him,he would find out and question her. Don’t forget Solomon is a very powerful sorcerer, he could have access to Mephisto knows what magic or potions.”

_I know he’s powerful, he’s threatened me thrice! But still.._

“But I can protect her, I mean we can, all of us!” Levi sneered, he was not backing down over this. The further she was away from the sorcerer the better. “Wait.. you don’t even have a pact with her! You have no right to be lecturing me when it comes to her safety.”

Satan had a feeling Levi was letting his petty jealousy take hold of him, to him it was more of a leverage to get Em away from the sorcerer; especially with how close they’d been on the trip recently. “Levi..I’m not going to argue with you anymore over the subject! Stop being so damn selfish and think of the bigger picture, someone may have brought Solomon here for a reason, and Em. This goes WAY past your pathetic jealousy issues.” The blonde exhaled deeply as he felt his own demonic powers climbing to the surface.

“O-oi..you two...calm down! Levi I..I agree with Satan, Em wouldn’t be able to handle the stress...a-at least until we know what’s going’ on here.” Mammon winced, he didn't know Em as well as his brother but he spent enough time with her to know it was too much of a weight on her shoulders.

The glutton interjected.”Yeah, it could be nothing to worry about! This might just all be some big misunderstanding…” he said naively. Frowning at Levi, who felt like he was being ganged up on by everyone.

_Am I the only one who actually wants to protect her here?! How am I selfish for wanting her to stay away from him!_

Levi hung his head in frustration, gritting his teeth. “Fine. I won’t tell her..for now. But if I get the faintest hint that she is in danger, I won’t hesitate.”

“We should head back, we’ve been gone too long.” Satan ignored his brother, he was drowning in his own problems and now he had to worry about Levi ruining the entire investigation, this was exactly why he believed emotions were a weakness.

* * *

Dinner was an awkward service, Em had excused herself on the basis of being worn out from the trip; which worried Levi more because he hadn’t seen her since they got back earlier that day. Mammon and Asmodeus were bickering about going to check on her, Satan was still incredibly stressed and barely said a word to Levi and Beel just wanted everyone to get along. 

Lucifer also looked rather stressed and was cutting into his steak a little too enthusiastically, carving into it like a butcher on crack. Levi glanced over as the scraping and sounds of the meat being torn into started to become too much to bear, cringing at the noise internally.

He stood up and excused himself. “Anyone want anything? I think I could go for some dessert right now.” Lucifer stopped murdering his food and put the cutlery down. “I’ll have a croissant.” 

Mammon also stood up and coughed. “I’ll join ya, I want somethin’ else too” 

_Ugh, don’t._

The two awkwardly strode over towards the dessert cart, Levi grabbed a slice of cheesecake and watched his brother grab a pudding and start frantically searching for something. “Sonnova, where the hell...where...they were right here the other day..” Mammon mumbled.  
  
“What are you after?” the otaku rolled his eyes, unable to watch Mammon squirm any longer.

“Where the hell are the spoons?!” Mammon frowned, lifting up the trays and searching around the back of the cart.

The purple haired demon sighed and gestured around him, pointing.“The kitchen demons moved everything to clean. Forks are on the left down there, spoons are to the right of them...” he lifted his arm over his back. “Oh! and the knives are behind me, but then I’m used to that today!” he said with a toothy grin.

“Eh?” Mammon glanced up and tilted his head in confusion. “What in Devildom are ya on about?”

 _“Would it have killed you to stand up for me earlier?_ ” Levi spat out, keeping his voice low so Lucifer didn’t overhear. _“I was just looking out for her but, you and Beel...I swear it felt I was the only one concerned for her safety.”_

The silver haired brother crossed his arms and huffed. _“Levi this aint the time or the place to talk about that...I’m sorry alright? But Satan has a point.”_

 _“Hey you know... you’re right. But you know what else has a point?”_ Levi gestured over his shoulder, glaring daggers into his brother's teal eyes.“ _The knife in my back._ _Seriously just stop talking to me right now or I’ll return the favour and take one of your eyes out_ ” Levi said as he took a forkful of his cake and started eating it, marching back to the table. 

Mammon stood there stunned for a few seconds and then joined him. Lucifer snapped his head up at the two and frowned. “Levi...my croissant?”

“They were all out.” Levi lied. 

Asmodeus took an interest in the tone his brother had, he sounded pissed off at something. “Ooooh Levi are you grumpy because Em isn’t here~ How cute~”

Lucifer burned his obsidian red eyes into his brother's amber ones. “Is that what you’re acting like an imp for this evening?”

“Of course not.” Levi growled but then froze a little, he couldn’t let on the real reason he was angry so he came up with something believable. “I-I accidentally overwrote my save on Purrsona 5 so I’ve lost three hundred hours of playtime.” he fake pouted.

“Ugh you’re so boring Levi~ I don’t get what you and Em find so interesting when it comes to those games…”

Levi rolled his eyes. “Because they’re fun? Do I really have to explain why I like things to you. You don’t see me asking why you like banging three succubi at the same time do you?”

“Well actu-” The lustful demon started, a little taken aback by the bluntness of his usually squeamish brother.

“I’m not interested in knowing, it was just an example.” As he finished off the rest of his dessert he felt a buzzing emanating from his pocket.

**You have 2 new messages.**

Em: Hey ^^

Em: How’s dinner going? I just woke up from a nap

Leviathan: Oh you’re not missing much just Lucifer carving the table in half :)

Em: Wait whaaat?!! ◉_◉  
  
Leviathan: I’m joking ;) 

Leviathan: But nah seriously, it’s boring as hell without you.

Leviathan: Are you sure you don’t want to do anything tonight? 

Em: Oh I would :( but I’m knee deep in this route right now </3

_Oh right she’s playing an otome game…_

Leviathan: Oh right! Mammon mentioned you were playing an otome game, is it any good?^^

Em: It’s AMAZING it’s actually a mobile game...but before you judge its not one of those gacha things 

Leviathan: Wow really? A mobile otome game that isn’t gacha, that is rare. ಠ_ಠ

Leviathans: What’s it called?

Em: Don’t laugh... But it’s called Magic Messenger and they call you and text you! It’s fantastic!

Leviathan: They..call you? Like the voice actors ಠ~ಠ I’m confused.

Em: Yeah they’re like prerecorded and you get to pick options but OMG there’s this guy called 808 and I am IN LOVE. (ಥ﹏ಥ)

Em: This game is curing my fear of phone calls if it means hearing his voice :D

Leviathan: LOL husbando material?

Em: DEFINITELY! He’s already told me he wants to marry me T_T

Em: Anyway I’ve gotta go do a chatroom, this game is so weird it’s like time based but I’m wasting my grimm on skipping days so I can just binge....

Leviathan: Oh haha...I’ll let you get back to him then ^^ Enjoy! 

Em: Thanks! Sorry for going on about it ^^;;

Leviathan: No worries, did you forget who you’re talking to ;)

_No...don’t get jealous over a 2D character. They’re not real, besides you have bigger things to worry about right now._

He snapped his head back up forgetting where he was, everyone was staring at him. From the moment he opened the messaging app he’d had a stupid grin plastered on his face and the brothers had just sat there observing Levi’s expression change from happy, resentful, sad, flirty to his usual state; envious.

“Soooo what are you talking about, I already know who it isss~” Asmodeus went in for the kill. 

“N-nothing. She was telling me about her husbando in that new game she’s been playing.” He said with a little venom in his tone.

“Ohhhh the messenger thing? She mentioned downloading it this morning when we were talking about dating. “Asmodeus froze and snapped his jaw shut. 

_D-DATING?!_

Lucifer turned with breakneck speed, whipping himself into the conversation “Dating? Is Em interested in someone...human..? Solomon?”

Beel swallowed his food impatiently, choking on it a little. “I’m telling you now, she isn’t interested in Solomon like that.” he glanced over at Levi who was sat with a poker face, trying to hide any emotions that were swirling around right now.

The Avatar of Lust did his best to recover from his slip up, Em wasn’t going to be happy with him though.”No she’s not interested in anyone, it just came up in conversation that she’s never dated anyone, or been on a real date. She didn’t count her day out with Solomon as one apparently..which is a shame. Anyway one thing led to another and she downloaded that game, so maybe she’s just curious...or maybe _someone should ask her out on a date sometime~”_ his eyes pierced into the side of Levi’s head whilst Lucifer grabbed his wine, trying to throw his voice at him suggestively.

Satan pushed his plate away and dabbed his lips with a napkin, he’d heard enough and was beginning to feel a bit sorry for his otaku brother; he knew all too well what this felt like, and he attempted to repair the damage from earlier. “Maybe we should all stop gossiping about our guest hmm? It’s not very polite and it’s none of our business what she wants to do in her own time.”

“Ya damn right it’s rude, and Asmo it’s also rude to ask who Levi’s talkin to. Let’s change the subject eh?” Mammon said, practically licking Levi’s feet for an apology with his words. He turned his head and gave his purple haired brother puppy dog eyes to which Levi rolled his own eyes and stood up. 

“Well this was lovely but I’ve got better places to be.” He scoffed, tucking his chair in and giving a small nod to everyone.

* * *

Ems POV 

The next morning Em woke up with a start, she’d spent quite a long amount of time with Belphie last night, he seemed to be a little more kinder with her; if only a tiny amount. Upon returning safely and without being caught she had to set an alarm for 5am to accept a call from her husbando in the game, in her drowsy state she’d forgotten to reset her alarm to wake her up for the academy. 

However the buzzing coming from her phone didn’t belong to an alarm, it was a barrage of texts.

Solomon: Good morning Em, sorry if I’m disturbing you.

Solomon: I just wanted to ask if you’re free in our lunch hour? I know we’ve got work later tonight but I wanted to see you.

Solomon: I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to you yesterday and I felt like a bit of an ass.

Solomon: Please, let me treat you to lunch. It’s the least I can do :)

Em: Oh good morning! No you’re not, I’ve been awake a while

Em: That sounds great, I’ll ask Beel and Mammon if they’re free too

Solomon: Oh actually I was wanting to speak to you alone.

Solomon: If that’s okay?

Em: Oh! Uhhh sure, I’ll come by your class around noon?

Solomon: Brilliant, I’ll see you later. Have a good morning!

_Well he seems back to normal..that’s good. But I wonder what he wants to talk about?_

She arched her back and yawned, looking around her room and breathing a sigh of relief. It felt good to finally be back home; the trip had been emotionally and physically exhausting for her and everyone else and maybe now they could get back to a bit of normality.

Em grabbed a quick shower, quicker than usual due to waking up so late. And then found herself looking in the mirror again, remembering Asmodeus’ advice and summoning all of her confidence she gave herself a very light makeover, a bit of foundation, some nude lipstick and mascara. She didn’t feel quite comfortable with eyeliner and eyeshadow just yet, and it would be awhile before she even attempted contouring and highlights. 

_I wonder if Levi will notice this time…_

Picking out a black-grey gradient t shirt, some ripped black skinny jeans and some black boots she got dressed and headed downstairs for breakfast, once again hurrying her pace at the thought of seeing her favourite otaku.

As she stepped into the dining hall the sound of his voice melted her on the spot and her heart leapt out of her chest.

Levi held his head in his hand, cringing. “I’m telling you right now Beel, you probably wouldn’t like Food Battle…it’s umm..not your thing.To be honest Asmo would enjoy it more.”

“But it’s about cooking and stuff right? I only found out about it because your animé magazine got delivered to me by mistake..and well..I was curious because I saw the really pretty food on the front cover.” Beel grinned sheepishly.

Asmodeus snapped his head up in curiosity as his name was dropped. “Why would I enjoy a show about cooking? Unless ...are they’re naked or something hahahah” 

“Uhhhh- Oh hey! Em you’re here!” Levi spun his head around, beyond grateful for her timing this morning. “Y-you look nice today”

_He noticed! Ugh he's so cute, I just want to give him a big hug._

“T-thank you, so do you." she blushed, averting her gaze from him and sat down next to him. “So what were you guys talking about?”

“Oh jeez..help me out _please._ ” Levi sighed. “Beel wants to watch _Food Battle..._ because he saw the pretty _FOOD_ art on one of my magazines.”

Em became a stuttering mess as realization of what that meant hit. Food Battle was a more adult animé that had a lot of lewd scenes, she didn’t blame Beel for his mistake as she had also made that same initial error. “O-oh..n-no.” Levi threw his hand over his mouth and stifled a giggle, her face was an absolute picture right now; a mix of trauma and horror. “N-no Beel, trust me you wouldn’t like something like that. It’s a very..deceiving show and I-I well...made the same mistake as you.”

“What sort of show is it...Levi ya making ME want to know now with all the secrecy” Mammon butted in, he’d been scrolling aimlessly on Akuzon for Ems birthday present; it was fast approaching and he still hadn’t a clue what to buy her.

“Now I want to watch this show! What’s it about Em tell me~” Asmodeus drew interest and tilted his head at their expressions. Whatever had gotten them so embarrassed he felt like he needed to see it now, whether it was animé or not.

Levi took a deep exhale and whispered into Asmodeus ear, just above a decibel in case Lucifer were to hear; he was currently ordering some coffee whilst Satan sat on a table on his own engrossed in a fantasy novel. The flirtatious siblings eyes widened, followed by an awkward silence and then. “HAHAHAHAHA Oh my Levi...Em, if that’s what all animé is like then I can see why you take an interest in it now~”

“N-no! Not all animé is like that!” Levi facepalmed, of course Asmo would take the bad and twist it into something good to humiliate him; since the start of the trip he noticed that his brother was picking on him even more with his comments and he started to worry if maybe Asmodeus was aware of his feelings. “A-anyway should you be getting to class, you have a test in human law today right?”

Asmodeus pouted.” Ugh why did you have to remind me… don’t think I haven’t forgotten about that food battle thing though~” He turned to Em. “Em you’re late! Grab something quick and we’ll walk together~” 

“Yeah sorry..I overslept...I had to wake up at 5am for a call with 808” she replied with a dreamy smile on her face and sighed. “Levi I’ll see you later? We’re still watching the rest of Fruits Hamper tonight right?” 

Levi couldn’t answer her quick enough. “Yeah! Can’t wait” 

“Great! Have a good day!” She grabbed a few pieces of toast and then waved goodbye to everyone, marching down the corridor with Asmodeus.

“Y-you too! Bye” He watched her walk away with a yearning expression on his face. Mammon excused himself and also got up, following after them.

“Em OI! Wait up!” He called out whilst huffing towards them out of breath, Asmodeus giggled at the state of his older brother. 

“Oh Mammon! What’s up?” Em asked, a little concerned why he ran and looked panicked.

“Right I didn’t wanna ask but ya leave me no choice, what do ya want for your birthday? It’s in a few weeks right?” 

“Oh! Oh wow I completely forgot about it to be honest haha” she laughed nervously, with everything that had happened her birthday wasn’t exactly on the list of priorities right now. “Ummm, can I get back to you on that? I can’t really think right this moment.”

Mammon hunched over. “Ugh, but ya just made me run all this way! Fine, just nothin' too weird okay? I know what you and Levi are like..”he muttered. “Well I’m here now, so can I walk to class with you guys?”

Asmodeus frowned, he’d been wanting to talk to Em about Levi some more and come up with a plan to try to get one of them to confess their feelings to eachother, but it couldn’t be helped as she nodded in response to Mammon.

“Sure! Oh I forgot to mention, I can’t join you guys for lunch today; I’m actually meeting Solomon.” She said innocently. At the mention of Solomons name Mammon went into big brother mode, especially after the conversation they’d had the previous day about him. 

“EH?! Em why are ya meeting that jerk? I’ll come with ya.” He demanded. Like Levi, he was worried about her being alone with the sorcerer now, only if he tagged along with her it wouldn’t seem suspicious as he was always by her side when she wasn’t with Levi.

“Ooooh I’ll come too! I haven’t spent any time with him in awhile, and I’ve missed his sexy face~”

Mammon crumpled his face in disgust, what in Devildom was so great about the mysterious sorcerer, he wasn’t model material like Mammon thought himself to be. Em grimaced at the two of them.

“S-sorry guys..he wanted to see me alone today…” She closed her eyes, waiting for the dreaded d word to come forth.

_Here we go.._

“EH IS IT A DATE?!” The silver haired brother beat Asmodeus to the punch, and watched Em roll her eyes in irritation.

The small human girl felt her blood boiling, she was sick to death of being paired up with the sorcerer, and if people kept saying that in front of Levi she felt like there was no way he would ever take an interest in her. “No! Ugh please, can you all stop putting me and Solomon together? I DON’T LIKE HIM LIKE THAT, I LIKE-”

“She likes her game character boy, what was his name 707?” Asmo blurted out before Em slipped up in her annoyance, he gave her a supportive wink.

_Holy hell thank you Asmo, that would have been a nightmare had I said anything else._

“R-Right! Asmo is right. I like 808… now w-we should p-probably get to class guys.” Em stormed ahead with Asmodeus linking her arm, neither of them noticing Mammon whip out his phone as he typed vigorously. 

Mammon: @Leviathan, did you know she’s meetin Solomon for lunch?

Leviathan: WHAT?

Mammon: Yeah. Alone. I asked if I could go and she said no.

Leviathan: That bastard, I wonder what he wants with her >:(

Mammon: What should we do?

Leviathan: ...I could go.

Mammon: Didn’t ya get my message? I said she told me no to goin’

Leviathan: I won’t ask...if you can find out where she’s meeting him I can at the very least check up on them incase he tries anything funny.

Mammon: So..you’re gonna spy on her basically? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Leviathan: Hey I’m not proud of it either, but I don’t trust the guy at all.

Leviathan: My stealth skill is pretty high these days though

Mammon: Just be careful! Let’s not tell the others about this

Mammon: Does this mean ya forgive me for yesterday?

Leviathan: Yeah. thanks for telling me about this. I appreciate it.

Mammon: Good luck.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I HAD to reference Mystic Messenger ok :')  
> Nice mix of humor and some plot in this chapter!
> 
> #Team Levi or Team Satan?


	45. Stealth 101

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi snoops, Solomon spills a little more about himself and then some nice fluff with Levi and Em.

Levi paced around his room, scratching his head in frustration. On the way back from breakfast he’d received a tip off from his older brother that Em was meeting Solomon alone for lunch, and after what Satan had told them yesterday his mind was made up. He had to at the very least make sure the sorcerer bore no ill intentions towards her.

_What if I’m seen though? I never leave the House so to be spotted would definitely alert him…_

_And Em, if she saw me she’d definitely know something was up…_

_WAIT._

A light flicked on inside his head as he pulled out his large chest of cosplay costumes. There were all sorts of wigs, clothes and props in there, and although he wasn’t a fan of using them; he also had some coloured eye contacts. As long as his disguise wasn’t too silly that it drew attention it would pass.

_Ok now what to wear though? I can’t be too obvious._

Levi shuffled through the various clothes and decided on a brown wig with red contacts, just a plain white tshirt, red school tie and some grey pants. He then grabbed a light brown jacket to cover the outfit just in case it was a bit too telling.

Upon changing and stepping in front of the mirror he grimaced and kicked the chest. “UGH no! I look exactly like Light from Deathbook...all I’m missing is a damn apple in my hand...or a potato chip.” He threw the wig off in defeat.

_This is ridiculous._

A few hours passed and Mammon had finally gotten the location out of Em, which was a relief due to the fact the academy's lunch hour would start soon.

Mammon: They’re goin’ to that new cafe 

Mammon: Limbo I think it’s called? ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Leviathan: Right, thanks.

Mammon: So how are ya goin’ to sneak in there without them seeing you?

Leviathan: I’m wearing a disguise ಠ‿↼

Leviathan: I’m leaving now, if I get there before her it’s less suspicious and won’t draw attention.

Mammon: Why..why do I get the feelin’ you’re dressed up as somethin stupid?

Mammon: Well whatever, just lemme know if somethin’ happens

Leviathan: You underestimate me brother, it’s subtle dw

Leviathan: And I will.

Before he left the safety of his room he quickly grabbed a pair of fake glasses; at the very least he didn’t resemble a very popular animé character exactly now. He felt himself trembling as he reached the main gates to the house, leaving still made him feel nauseous and highly unsettled. The exercising had helped somewhat but the Devildom lake was only a few minutes run from the House.

_But I have to know she’s okay._

_And I want to hear what he wants to talk about with her._

Levi clenched his fists in determination and made his way to the 2nd layer of the Devildom. Thankfully his costume didn’t draw too much attention and he just looked like a regular college student or a businessman, demons and demonness’ passed by him oblivious, not even looking his way as they went about their own lives.

_It should be around here somewhere…_

The otaku pulled out his DDD and opened Ooogle maps, he was supposedly right next to the location. “Ugh these contacts are really itchy, I can barely see straight” he muttered, cursing himself for even bothering with them as he rubbed his eyes under his glasses.

He sighed in frustration, his eyes darting around the signs on the stores and then finally in big black letters “LIMBO”. It was a quaint little place right on the corner of the street, unfortunately his celebration was short lived as he peered into the window.

_That stall looks perfect, okay as long as they don’t sit facing me it’s all good._

“E-excuse me s-sir, are you wanting to go in?” a nervous, timid voice spoke.”Are... you okay?”

_Oh...oh no._

Levi froze in place, his heart nearly beat out of his chest hearing that angelic tone. He didn’t even have to turn around to know it was her, his whole body sensed her presence behind him. He took a deep breath and coughed, dropping his voice down an octave. “Sorry, go ahead. Just having a look.” He said as he stepped aside, she didn’t respond but nodded her head as a way of thanks.

Em did a double take at the stranger in front of her as she passed him, she couldn’t help but worry at the watery eyes and trembling voice; it wasn’t everyday you ran into a demon on the verge of tears in the street, and one that seemed oddly familiar. Shrugging her shoulders convinced it was her mind playing tricks on her she opened the door and went inside, leaving Levi a nervous mess next to the window.

_I can’t believe I bumped into her, she didn’t recognize me did she? I hope not…_

_I have to get in there before Solomon does._

The temporarily brunette demon took a deep breath and pushed his glasses as far up on the bridge of his nose as it would allow, even with contacts in he was anxious she’d see right through him. He grabbed the handle of the door and pushed his way through, giving a welcome grunt to the staff at the counter as they bowed.

The stall nearest the bathroom seemed to be the best option for him, Em was sat scrolling on her phone aimlessly whilst she waited for the white haired sorcerer, he grimaced as he sat down in the opposing booth, if she looked up their eyes would meet through the wooden planks. 

“Hello sir, are you ready to order?” A small demoness with pink hair crept up behind him after a few minutes, leaning over with a small notepad and pen. Levi said nothing but pointed at the menu, and nodded appreciatively at her, she raised an eyebrow at the silent treatment as she’d seen him talking outside with Em, but didn’t question it as she walked off to make his bubble tea and sandwich.

Suddenly he heard a buzzing sound and his heart stopped, he’d forgotten to turn it on silent, and the goldfish was a dead giveaway. He carefully lifted his DDD up and checked his messages, removing the plush keychain and discreetly pushed it into his pocket.

Em: Hey! Sorry if I’m bothering you

Em: What are you having for lunch? ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

_Shit! Does she know I’m here? Maybe she heard my phone.._

He shifted his eyes up cautiously hoping she wasn’t looking directly at him, noticing the expression on her face as she sat there expectantly waiting for a reply. Now just how could he leave her hanging with a beaming smile like that?

Leviathan: Oh hey! You’re not bothering me at all ^^

Leviathan: I’ve just got a ham sandwich and bubble tea today ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ what about you?

Em: I haven’t ordered mine yet…:(

_Does she know I’m here?!_

Em: I’m actually at that new café that just opened a few weeks ago

Levi heard her sigh deeply, as he looked over he saw her typing; his eyes darted back down to his phone; she still hadn’t sent whatever it was. 

“No no, don’t be stupid” she pouted, tapping backspace rapidly before finally replying.

Em: I can’t wait for the rest of our binge later! \ (•◡•) /

_I wonder what she was going to say?_

_Well I guess I’ll never know…_

Leviathan: Hah me either, it’s not as bad as I remembered it being when it first came out

Em: You just have bad taste </3

Leviathan: D: excuuuuse me

Leviathan: Oh you’re so dead when you get back here

Em: For telling the truth? (¬‿¬)

Leviathan: For insulting my taste :(

Em: I was only joking!

Em: But seriously why don’t you like shoujo (ಥ﹏ಥ)

Leviathan: I don’t hate it, I just…

Leviathan: I’ve seen everything, they’re really tropey and predictable 

Leviathan: And when you’re as old as me you start to get a bit bored of seeing the same love triangle plot recycled over and over

Leviathan: Or the worst is when you watch 24 episodes and the couple doesn't get together until the VERY last second!

Leviathan: (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

He heard a quiet laugh from the opposing booth and tried to stop himself from smiling.

Em: Ugh I hate to agree with you..but you’re right

Em: That always leaves me feeling salty :(

Leviathan: Well I don’t mind watching it if you like it :)

Leviathan: I guess it just reminds me of how pathetic and lonely I am LOL

Em: You’re not pathetic T_T 

Em: And you shouldn’t be lonely anymore you have me now

Em: Sorry that came off really narcissistic ^^;

“One ham sandwich and a bubble tea, sir.” The demoness placed his drink on the table in front of him, though he was completely oblivious right now as he texted the girl a few metres away. 

Em peered her head up as the waitress repeated the order, isn’t that what Levi was having for lunch too? She burned her eyes into the demon's crimson ones; thankfully he was concentrating on his own phone right now, was he an academy student too?

Suddenly Em stopped typing and stood up as the bell above the door rang and a handsome white haired man wearing his RAD uniform walked over to the human girl with a wide smile.

Em: oh brb!

Leviathan: LOL it didn’t, but you’re right I do have you now ^^

Leviathan: And I’m super grateful for it.

Leviathan: Oh np ^^

“Sorry I kept you waiting! We had a pop quiz at the very last second of class...or we could’ve walked together.” He took a seat opposite her and grabbed a menu as he spoke. Opposite them Levi snarled at the back of Solomon's head, he was blocking Ems lovely face from his view.

_Well at least I can glare at him all I want like this._

“Oh it’s fine! It’s not like you could help it!” she laughed, grabbing her own menu as she scanned the food. 

The sorcerer called the waitress over with haste and ordered two drinks, Levi was at the very least thankful the staff were the ones in charge of preparing food and drink just in case he _was_ drugging her. 

“Well anyway, it’s good to see you again. First I wanted to apologize for my behaviour the other day, I don’t really talk about myself to anyone else and I-well you opened a gate; I’m sorry for getting so sentimental” He sighed sombrely and hunched over towards her across the table, holding his hand out.

_What the hell is he on about? What did he tell her?_

Levi couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow and grabbed his drink, sipping it whilst scrolling on his phone to look occupied as he listened intently.

Em frowned and glanced down at his hand, misreading the implication for a stretch and instead gave him a reassuring pat on the arm. “Solomon, don’t apologise for getting upset...It’s completely natural, and it’s my fault for opening the floodgates”

Solomon couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow at the pat and chuckled. “Em, I was actually wanting your hand. I have something for you.” he paused. “But please don’t blame yourself for my weakness.”

“O-oh! Sorry!” She bit her lip feeling embarrassed and laughed sheepishly. 

Levi couldn’t help but pull a look of disgust as Solomon took Ems hand into his own and he started stroking it as he spoke. 

“It’s a little early I know, but I’ll be away by the time your birthday rolls around...and today seemed like a good time.” Solomon smiled at her and took the small box out of his pocket with the other hand. “Now close your eyes.” he said playfully.

Em did as he asked and shut her eyes, curiosity piquing.

_It’s not a ring is it? Is he confessing..? I can’t see properly._

_But what does he mean he’s away..where’s he going?_

The otaku demon tilted his head ever so slightly and grit his teeth. The sorcerer placed a silver leaf bracelet around her wrist and then leant over the table, placing a quick peck on her cheek. “Happy Birthday Em…” he whispered into her ear and smirked as her eyes flew open in shock.

_DID HE JUST KISS HER?!? Oh hell no, do you want to die?!_

It took everything Levi had to not reveal his disguise, he bit down on his tongue so hard he tasted blood and kept scrolling through his phone until his vision blurred with the rage he felt. He quickly threw a worried glance over to her, she didn’t look happy; more uncomfortable and awkward than pleased.

_How the hell am I supposed to compete with that bracelet...what I have for her is awful in comparison._

Em couldn’t help but throw her hand on her cheek, confused by the action. Solomon ruffled his platinum white hair as blush spread on his cheeks, pleading for her not to question it. “I uhh, I don’t know much about you but you seemed to like the rose, and after your reaction in the greenhouse, it felt right.” He laughed nervously, regretting his actions a little. "At least you can't lose this as easily haha"

She lifted her arm up and twisted it around, examining the gift with awe. “O-oh, well thank you very much... it’s beautiful! But you didn’t have to get me anything Solomon.” Em grimaced at the unwanted skin contact, she’d warned him many times that she felt unsettled by it, and now that she had realized her feelings it made her heart reject the intimacy, if it wasn't coming from Levi she wasn’t interested.

_That definitely made her uncomfortable..maybe she doesn’t like Solomon that way?_

_Maybe I do have a..chance with her._

“Nonsense! You’re my friend Em, just don't make me take money from you this time alright? I’m still shocked about that..” he chuckled, the nerves fading away as his confidence aura burst back through.

_Money? For what?_

“Ah yeah haha...I’m sorry, I just didn’t feel comfortable taking something so precious without giving you something for the trouble.”

“No trouble at all Em, that pendant was a gift to you...I hope you’re looking after it though, it was incredibly hard to get my hands on, I practically had to beg for it.” he huffed.

“O-oh well uhh..I actually...I-” she stuttered as she watched the sorcerer's expression turn into one of concern. “I..gave that to Levi actually.” she blushed crimson and lowered her head, hoping he wouldn’t pick up on her embarrassment.

_Wait. Pendant...are they talking about the limited wing pendant?! Solomon gave it to Em but...she gave it to me?_

_I can’t help but feel happy about that._

Levi switched his phone off and put it back into his pocket, arching his back as he was about to stand, he was satisfied enough that Solomon wouldn’t try anything; besides the kiss that he swore he’d throttle the sorcerer for one day.

However, Solomon's tone suddenly turned cold, and he scoffed. “Em...why do you continue to waste your energy on that guy?” he spat out, trying to keep calm.

Levi stiffened, should he pretend he was just stretching or should he leave when it seemed the conversation was taking a turn. They were talking about him now, and much as he wanted to hear; it suddenly felt wrong to eavesdrop.

Em clenched her fist, also feeling a little irritated. “Solomon what do you have against Levi, I thought you made up? Ever since that day you’ve just seemed to have it in for him, I’ve forgiven him so... why can’t you?”

_Thank you Em.._

Knowing his body language would give him away, Levi faked a yawn and finished stretching his back before grabbing his phone again, thankfully the humans were too absorbed into their argument to notice.

“Because Em, I care about you..a lot” the sorcerer blushed. “ I don’t want to see you get hurt like that again. Leviathan doesn’t appreciate you at all, whereas I-I would raise an army for you. I only acted civil with him for your sake, but..I’m worried about you and I think you need to create some distance between you and him.”

_Screw you! I appreciate her a lot more than you’ll ever know, you stupid overgrown q-tip!_

“I appreciate that you think you’re looking out for me Solomon but..I-I can protect myself. Levi is my best friend and I refuse to leave him, but you really need to stop insulting him to me and acting coldly towards him.” her lip quivered as she felt her emotions leaking out. “Now can we please order some food? I’m starving!” she changed the conversation swiftly, she did not want to talk about Levi with him; especially with how angry she felt herself getting at the petty insults. If push came to shove with this topic, Em wouldn’t hesitate to walk out.

_If I had a choice I’d never leave you either._

_Ugh I love you so much, the fact I can’t turn around and take you away from that asshole right now kills me._

Solomon felt her anger growing and winced, she had a very short temper and he kept forgetting. “I’m sorry...but you’ll have to leave his side eventually, we’re leaving in 8 months time Em, forever...unless you intend on staying?” he raised an eyebrow as she pressed the question.

_Screw you for reminding me._

“W-well I-I uhh..” the raven haired girl couldn’t help but feel a little flustered.

“Em? I was joking when I said that but...are you really staying here?” Solomon scrunched up his face anxiously.

“I..I really want to.” she admitted.

“But what about your friends, your family back home? You’d really give up all of that for him?” 

“W-well..I don’t..I dont have anything left for me back home Solomon, my mother is probably thankful I’m gone and I’ve not spoken to or seen my father in three years...and in terms of friends...I lost the only person I could’ve ever considered a friend.” she exhaled dramatically as she spilled her secrets out to him, wincing with guilt for keeping it to herself from yet another person.

Levi’s eyes widened, she’d told everyone both of her parents had wanted her back home in England but now she spoke with bitterness in her voice at the mention of her father. And what exactly did she mean that her mother would be thankful she was gone? It seemed like she still had more to hide about her life and he couldn’t help but feel a little hurt that she was telling Solomon this information and not him, a pang of insecurity hit him in the chest.

_Does she not trust me? Are we not...close enough for her to feel like she can tell me this stuff?_

_I should probably leave now.._

Solomon sat there in shock for a second and then averted his gaze. “I’m sorry, I understand that all too well..” he gnawed at the inside of his cheek as he deliberated talking more about himself, in the end he surrendered. “My father abandoned me too, only I never got the chance to even know him. When I was a young boy, I couldn't have been older than six? he..threw me into auction, and I was sold off to the highest bidder; a loving family took pity on me and raised me to help them with their fishery business…” he sighed and his face hardened.

Levi breathed in deeply and stood up, his gaze fixed on the kitchen staff as he passed them slowly walking to the counter to pay for his meal. He didn’t dare turn around or steal another glance.

Em was crestfallen for him, quite the change from wanting to slap him just a few minutes ago. Her aquamarine eyes were glazed with tears on the verge of falling, and then her brows furrowed in anger.

Levi almost gasped at the new information, he hadn’t expected Solomon to have had such a bad background, and although he hated him and resented him deeply; he couldn’t help but feel a little pity and...guilt for the sorcerer.

_Dude…_

_I shouldn’t have come here, I feel bad for him now._

_No-one, not even Solomon should have to go through something like that…_

_Maybe I was wrong about him...maybe it really is just my jealousy?_

_No what am I thinking...he’s still dodgy as hell._

“H-he sold you?! Isn’t that illegal! Oh my g-mephisto I’m so sorry that happened to you Solomon..and I can see why you don’t talk about yourself much either…” Blood boiled up inside her, she had so many questions but didn’t want to push her luck, all she uttered was one word. “...why?”

_Yeah...why? What the hell kind of parent does that; are all human parents like this?_

“Sir? That’s 1200 grim….sir?” The waitress huffed, rolling her eyes. It was incredibly obvious this strange man had been listening into the young couple on the next table, he had long finished his food and hadn’t even been paying attention to his phone; she smelled drama.

Levi snapped back into the present and cringed. “S-sorry” he whispered in a low voice as he grabbed his wallet, leaning his head back slightly to catch the remainder of the conversation.

The waitress smiled at him deceptively. “I’ve ran out of change in the cash register so I’ll be back in a sec.” she wanted nothing more than for another customer to leave, it had been a slow shift; but she couldn't help but show a little interest in the current drama as she slunk off into the back.

Solomon tilted his head at Em. “Hm?”

“Why did he sell you? What sort of man sees his own son as something that can be bought off?” Em said, disgusted at the very thought someone had come to the conclusion that had been a rational decision.

Solomon snorted. “Hmph, well..there’s a chance I’m not related to him by blood and god I hope it's true.. My mother...well, I don’t know how to say this... my mother died when I was very young; she-” he chose his words carefully. “She got ill and it was only after her death that people started talking, you see it’s quite rare for someone with non magical parents to manifest abilities, so there was a rumour my mother cheated behind my fathers back with...others.” 

“O-oh…” Em didn’t know what to say, although she was glad he’d finally told her about his mother; this was getting a bit heavy for a conversation at lunch and they still hadn’t ordered their food. “Still..I cannot believe you’ve had to live with that, I’m so sorry Solomon…”

A low rumbling noise interrupted their solemn silence and Em widened her eyes in horror, the sorcerer snapped his head up and burst into laughter. “Hahaha! I guess your stomach doesn’t care for my sad little life...lets get some food.” 

Levi did his best not to laugh at the terribly awkward timing of her stomach, it had echoed throughout the entire building.

“I-I’m so sorry! That was so rude…” She held her hands on her head, mortified that her body had such terrible timing.

Ems gaze couldn’t help but shift slightly to the demon standing at the counter, she felt like she knew him from somewhere but couldn’t place him. Was he a customer from the library? someone from the academy? She eyed the back of his hair suspiciously.

“I’m back, here’s your change sir.” The waitress butted in as Levi felt himself engrossed into the conversation again.”Have a great day.” she said in a deadpan tone.

_Damn you, I wanted to hear the rest!_

He said nothing but nodded as he reluctantly stepped out of the café, cursing himself for the timing but also relieved he hadn’t seemed to have been caught by either of them. Levi sighed and strolled to the other side of the street, watching the two behind the glass.

_Ugh if only I could read lips._

* * *

Em  s POV

“It’s okay, it’s my fault for rambling on..you’re very easy to talk to. I have to be careful not to reveal too much around you.” Solomon laughed nervously and gestured to the menu. “Anyway, pick whatever you’d like; it’s on me.”

The two finally ordered their food and the waitress almost jumped for joy that they’d finished their conversation, it was a very small café so she’d practically heard the entire thing and had been slowly putting the pieces together in her mind; it sounded like a very intense love triangle. 

Em and Solomon finished their meal, both grateful that the mood had returned to a more pleasant one. 

“Well that was lovely, this place is tiny but the food was pretty good...ah don’t tell Beel I said that; he’ll think i’m cheating on Hell's Kitchen” Em giggled holding her stomach now that it had been tended to.

_Oh! I told Levi I'd be right back, I hope he doesn’t think I’m mad at him.._

_I have to message him as soon as I leave._

Solomon laughed in response. “Well your secret’s safe with me.” he smiled and then looked a little hesitant, but shook his head. “We should do this again sometime, however let's skip the angst next time; I feel like whenever we talk out of work, it’s me droning on about myself these days...” 

“Hah yeah me too..” Ems lip quivered, did he see this as lunch between friends or something more?

_Especially after that kiss on the cheek..._

He could tell she was mulling over something in her mind and backtracked. “I didn’t mean it like a date if that’s what you’re worried about”. During their time working together in the library Solomon had found himself observing the doe eyed girl a lot from the corner of his books when they had no customers, every little microexpression told him something about her and the way her lip twitched when he had suggested the term date meant it had been a step too far.

“Ah” she said.

_Thank god._

_Maybe he IS just really friendly and I have nothing to be worried about._

“Em can I ask...would it be a problem for you if it were a date?” Solomon pinched his nose.

“Huh?”

_I don’t want to answer that..._

He narrowed his eyes, preparing himself for what he was about to say, and the emotional fallout that would occur after it, but he felt a buzzing from his pocket. “H-hang on sorry, I need to get this.” With a quick motion he swept himself towards the door. “I won’t be long..” he spoke in an irritated tone, whoever had interrupted him had hell to pay, and he stepped outside walking a little distance from the café.

Em watched him fade into the crowd and pulled her phone out of her pocket so fast you heard the air whistle.

Em: I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to leave you hanging for so long

Em: I’ve just had lunch with Solomon

Leviathan: Oh no problem ^^

Leviathan: You didn’t leave me hanging lol 

Em: What were we talking about again? Oh your bad taste ^^

Leviathan: I warned you, you’ll regret saying that!

Leviathan: >:D

Em giggled as she tapped away to him, thinking he was adorable when she teased him. After a few minutes of some innocent flirting she heard a voice behind her, knocking the stupidly large smile off her face.

“Sorry Em, I’ve got to go..” Solomon couldn’t help but let his lemon-azure eyes sour a little, he knew exactly who she was typing away to, oddly enough the stranger he stood next to outside seemed to have the same dumb expression on his face. “I’ll see you later? Abaddons got us rearranging the biography section tonight.”

Em threw her phone down on the table. “Definitely, thanks again for the food..and for the bracelet; it really is lovely.”

“No problem, right you’d better back to the Academy; I’ve got some free time to kill well..I say free time but I have some errands to run.” he rolled his eyes and smiled at her. 

She stood up as Solomon walked over to the counter to pay for their meal, her eyes wandered outside and she had to do another double take as she saw Levi sitting on a bench just opposite the place.

_That strange demon is outside...is he stalking me? ..or maybe Solomon?_

Solomon smiled at her and waved her off. She walked past him, opening the door gingerly as she made her way into the bustling street.

_I’m a little nervous to be by myself now…_

_Maybe I should have someone meet me?_

Em thought about it for a second, Levi was obviously her first choice but there was no way she’d be able to drag him out of that room, Asmodeus maybe, Beel would most likely still be in Hells Kitchen knee deep in a feast of food.

_I’ll summon Mammon._

Em: Mammon are you free right now?

Mammon: I am..but didn’t you say you were busy meetin that jerk?

Em: I was with Solomon if that’s who you mean (>ლ)

Em: I need someone here like right now!

Em: It might just be my imagination but there’s a demon here and I think he’s been watching me T_T

Mammon took a while before responding, which was incredibly out of character for him as he usually responded with lightning speed.

Mammon: EH?!?!?!?!! 

Mammon: Summon me right now and point him out.

Em: Okay! Just let me find somewhere to summon you discreetly.

She turned the corner and darted her eyes around just in case the weird demon snuck up behind her and closed her eyes muttering the incantation.

With a flash of lightning Mammon stood there smiling at her. “Right, point the guy out Em.” he wasted no time with small talk and stomped back into the main street.” What’s the guy look like?”

“Well, he’s about the same height as Levi only he has brown hair and red eyes, black rimmed glasses on and looked like he was a lawyer or something.” She scratched her chin as she tried to recall the most recognizable features. “You know now I think about it, he looked a LOT like Light from Deathbook..”

Mammon scanned the crowd, unbeknown to her he had instantly messaged Levi to leave the place as she suspected him; what Em saw now was the best acting of the white haired demon's life. “I don’t see anyone like that...are ya sure ya weren't just overthinkin’ it?”

_What? But he was just there!_

Em furrowed her brow and scanned their surroundings herself, it was true; the strange cosplay demon was nowhere in sight.“I’m pretty sure...I bumped into him outside and he seemed nervous or...upset over something? And then he followed me into the café and sat in the opposite booth. I couldn’t help but feel watched the entire time he was there, then he left just before Solomon and I ordered our food.” 

_D-did I overthink it? I could’ve sworn he was listening to us though..but then it WAS a very small café, I suppose anyone would have heard us._

_Ugh, Mammons right; I’m just paranoid._

She sighed in defeat. “You know what Mammon, you’re probably right..I’m sorry for summoning you all the way here.”

“Oi don’t beat yourself up about it…you did the right thing.” Mammon frowned, he felt bad lying to her like this and making her doubt her sanity but it was for her own sake at the end of the day. “Anyway should we get back to class? We’re probably gonna miss the first half of Maths.” he turned his head towards her and mocked. “Well not like the teacher would notice...you are _terrible_ with sums!” 

Em slapped him playfully. “Hey! E-everyone has something they’re not good at!” she laughed, rolling her eyes at the tormenting brother.

Mammon glared at her bracelet and raised an eyebrow. “Don’t tell me, that’s from Solomon?”

“Huh..? oh y-yeah” she looked at her wrist feeling a little guilty for accepting such a precious gift so easily.

The demon sighed, shrugging his shoulders. “Well I’m gonna get you somethin’ even better, I just uhh..I need some cash first.”

“Mammon...you don’t have to get me anything, especially if you don’t have any money.”

“I-I have some money...just not much.” he grinned bashfully at her and then widened his eyes. “Oh! Tell me what ya want, c’mon there must be somethin.” 

“W-well…” she started.

_Would it be selfish to want to spend my birthday with Levi?_

_Ugh what am I thinking, it’s not like Mammon could help with that._

In the end she settled on something small and inexpensive for the Avatar of Greed to get her, it wasn’t like she could ask Mammon for advice about Levi either, earlier she’d wanted to ask her purple haired friend to join her one day, maybe even as a date but her confidence still wasn’t quite there yet. “J-just a purse or something would be fine, mine’s a little worn out…” 

Mammon nodded at her. “Gotcha, I should be able to do that” 

* * *

“Finally..” Em muttered to herself as she marched down the corridor. Her shift at the library had dragged on and on and although she’d enjoyed her work, she’d been looking forward to spending time with her favourite demon all day; especially after their flirtatious texting session earlier in the café. 

After their lunch together Em didn’t really get a chance to talk to Solomon, they were working in different sections and Abaddon made sure they never stopped working, the aching in her feet and her joints were proof of that.

She whipped her phone out and checked out her reflection in the mirror one last time, everything seemed fine for now and quickly reapplied her foundation midwalk to the blue door.

As she approached she welcomed the swelling sensation in her heart and felt lighter than air as she knocked on the door three times.

He opened almost immediately, greeting her with enthusiasm and gave her a heartwarming smile. “Hey! You’re here! I-I actually got us some snacks for tonight.” Praising himself for getting changed and hiding the cosplay costumes as soon as he got home earlier that day; after such an adventure he'd fallen straight to sleep after returning.

Her eyes lit up at the mention of snacks, Levi always went above and beyond for their junk food; and he shared most of the same favourites as her. She took a seat on his sofa and looked in amazement at the spread of food on his marble table, there was pocky, jelly sweets, chips and two bottles of soda.

“Wow...Levi you really went all out...what's the occasion haha!” she giggled and couldn’t help but be impressed at the effort. The truth was he felt bad for spying on her and guilty towards how he’d tarred Solomon to be completely evil, so the snacks were his way of lifting the mood between them, plus he wanted to see her happy with no stress today after that mention of her family earlier.

“N-no reason, I just wanted to do something nice…” a devious smirk graced his lips all of a sudden. “But because you insulted my taste you have to watch me open everything and get first dibs.” he pulled his tongue out playfully, he was going to get payback.

“Y-you’re going to make me watch? Levi...that really is evil.” she fake pouted and glared at him as he grabbed the box of pocky. He kept his amber eyes on her as he opened it and took one out, holding it next to his mouth.

“This is your punishment~” he winked at her, imitating Asmodeus.

“Oh yeah? Well..” she laughed and leant over to him and snatched the pocky from his hand, taking a bite from it. “Looks like you’re not quite quick enough.”

Levi opened his mouth wide in shock and scoffed. “Wow thief! You hang out with Mammon far too much; his personality is starting to rub off on you..” he frowned with a light tone to his voice, watching her nibble the pocky.

“And you seem to be more like Asmodeus tonight! Maybe we’ve all switched bodies or something.” she exclaimed and couldn’t help but laugh at the thought of the brothers all trapped in each others bodies, it was like something from an animé.

Levi chortled. “Hah! if I were Asmodeus I’d be teasing you in a very different way.”

“W-what?” she raised her eyebrows and felt her face getting very hot all of a sudden at the implications.

_Did he just say what I think he said? Oh my…_

_I’m sure he didn’t mean anything by it, it is Levi after all._

Levi’s eyes went white, he hadn’t meant to say that out loud.“N-nothing, doesn’t matter! A-anyway let's watch Feels Hamper.”

“Feels Hamper?” she laughed, deciding to ignore the suggestive comment.

“Yeah, because it’s ridiculously sad and depressing…” he mumbled, still a little embarrassed at himself for the bold suggestion. He pressed play on the DVD and grabbed another pocky stick. “I won’t let you steal this one from me.”

_Is that a challenge?_

_“_ Oh yeah?” she pressed her lips together, what would draw his attention right now. “Quick! Henry 2.0 is doing something cute!” she lightly tapped his other arm, pointing at the goldfish.

Levi didn’t budge. “Not gonna work on me Em, you’ll have to do better than that..” he chortled as he slowly moved the snack closer to his mouth, scooting further down the sofa away from her cat like reflexes.

_Oh no you don’t!_

Em glared at him, she was incredibly competitive and didn’t like losing. She leaned over and reached for the snack, Levi noticed her movements however and the two started to play wrestle each other, he pushed her back with one hand gently and barricaded her with his foot with very little effort.

 _Ugh he’s...he’s so strong!_

“Wow, someones feisty” he smirked, twiddling the offending pocky in his hand menacingly at her. “But you should know better than to mess with a great and powerful demon like me” Em summoned all of her strength and swung at him, swiping it out of his hand again. “H-hey!”

“Hah! 2-0 to me..” she laughed and pulled her tongue out. “So much for not letting me steal it, oh great and powerful demon.”

The otaku demon was not letting her beat him, he was the superior one when it came to games even if she did beat him at Bario Kart. "You little sneak!" he giggled. In an instinctual motion he leapt at her, throwing his entire body towards her with his sights set on taking that snack before she got to taste it, only he leapt with a little too much force and fell right on top of her, with only his arms supporting his weight. 

He felt his heart going a mile a minute as he was hunched over her, the two of them were frozen in place, the laughing had stopped and all that could be heard were the two rapidly increasing heart beats in the room and the distant sound of the animé in the background.

_..w-what do I do?_

_Should I push him off or...or..._

Em stared up at him, not knowing where to look or what to do; she was so close to his face she could feel his breath on her, his chest was rising up and down quickly against her as if he were running a marathon. They both locked eyes, and then found each other's gaze cast on the other's lips. Their eyes fluttered closed and butterflies swirled in their stomachs as their heads tilted absentmindedly, both more than willing to accept this turn of events as they slowly gravitated towards eachother. 

_I want to kiss him...but it would be his first._

_And I can’t steal that from him...not unless he felt the same._

Just as they were about to make contact, Em whipped her head around to the side as she opened her eyes and bit into the pocky with a deafening crunch, Levi shot his own eyes open and clambered off her after feeling her shift underneath him. She felt incredibly dizzy and lightheaded after that, and was pretty sure her face was the colour of a tomato right now but after a very quick glance, so was his.

_Ugh I can’t believe I almost kissed him like that, I have got to control myself._

“I-I win” she laughed nervously, praying he wouldn’t bring up what had almost happened. Em needed something after that, her eyes trailed back to the table in front of them and she grabbed a bottle of soda. “I-I know you said first dibs on everything, but I’m really t-thirsty.” 

“S-sorry...g-go ahead..” Levi still hadn’t calmed down and tried to digest what had almost happened, only he blamed himself for it somehow; thinking he was the only one who had leant in and almost taken advantage of their compromising position, he combed his violet bangs and exhaled slowly, leaning over to the table also grabbing a drink for himself.

The two awkwardly sipped their drinks as they watched the screen, both equally torn between not giving into their urges and for almost giving into them. After a long silence Levi attempted to break the tension with some small talk. “So uhh how was work today? You look a little tired…”

“O-oh? It was okay..we just moved a bunch of different sections around because Abaddon ordered some celebrity demon books; she hoped it would draw more academy students in…” Em felt herself getting a little carried away, rambling on about her job. Levi just smiled lovingly at her, watching her expressions change as she remembered things that had happened or books that she’d found.

“Sounds like you had a tough shift..” he remarked, eyeing the bracelet around her wrist. “So uhh..new jewellery?”

_Oh crap. I was hoping he wouldn’t ask about it._

“A-ah yeah haha, it was actually an early birthday present from Solomon.” she winced. “Apparently he won’t be here by the time my actual birthday hits so he gave it to me today. To be honest it's not my style but I'm still really grateful for him going through the trouble."

“Ahhh I see..” Levi cringed, he hadn’t meant to make things awkward again but if he hadn’t commented on it he was worried she’d think it was strange as he always noticed the difference in what she wore, however he did take note it sounded like she wasn't thrilled with getting jewellery as a present. “Did you have a good date with him? O-oh and what was the café like?”

“Ugh it wasn’t a date...it was just lunch between two friends!” she cringed remembering the kiss and the awkward question Solomon asked before he was interrupted by his phone. “The café was lovely but…”

“S-sorry” he grinned sheepishly, he couldn’t help but feel relieved at the friend zoning. “But?” 

“Well there was this really strange demon sitting opposite us, I could’ve swore he was watching me or something; it was super creepy..oh! And he looked a LOT like Light from Death Book, same sort of vibe!”

Levi held his breath, trying not to act too nervously. “R-really? When you say vibe…?”

“He had brown hair with red eyes and his jacket looked pretty much identical! It was almost like he was wearing a cosplay of him, oh but except he had glasses on!” she laughed nervously.

“O-oh that is weird...he didn’t follow you home or anything did he?” he feigned innocence. 

“N-no! He completely disappeared on me, I messaged Mammon asking if I could summon him..to be honest you were the first one I wanted to call..b-but I know you hate being outside, so he was the best option...” she trailed off.

_I hope that doesn’t sound too needy..._

Levi felt a sinking feeling in his chest, his shut-in nature was ruining her ideology of him and he didn’t like it, he wanted to be someone who she could rely on for anything, especially if things took a turn for the worse. “W-well next time something like that happens...summon me instead. I-I’m not as intimidating as my brothers, or as physically strong as Mammon, Lucifer or Beel but I... want to be able to protect you too.”

“Levi…” Em looked at him incredulously, feeling more than happy at the sincerity in his tone. “A-are you sure? I just didn’t want you to feel uncomfortable…”

“Em, if it means being there for you I don’t mind..” he blushed, had he said too much? “A-anyway just don’t hesitate next time, if you’re actually in danger and you stop to think t-then something bad might happen.”

“In danger? Hah I don’t think that’s possible being surrounded by all of you...I mean besides the witch, henry 1.0 and what happened with Lucifer what’s there to be worried about here?” she snapped her mouth shut quickly, but it was too late. 

_Oh no..I didn’t mean to bring up the tomb...there’s no way he’s not going to ask me what happened._

Levi grew concerned, he’d wanted to ask about the tomb, of course he already knew what had transpired down there thanks to Mammon, but he wanted to know why she did what she did. The mood never seemed right or the timing was off to ask about it. But now she was here, alone with him for the rest of the evening; it was the perfect opportunity.

“Em..what happened with Lucifer in the tomb that night?” He tensed up, expecting a rebuttal or a change of topic, she was a lot like him when she was flustered.

To his surprise she grabbed a few jelly sweets and threw them into her mouth before speaking. “Ugh, I really didn’t want you finding out….Lucifer...tried to kill me.”

Levi frowned but did his best to act like this was brand new information. “Wait what?! In the tomb? Why?” it hurt him to betray her trust so much lately, but he felt like there was still a rift between them.

Em turned to face him and told him the events of those few days. How Luke had fought with Simeon, how Beel and her had kept him hidden in their room. Em kept looking into Levi’s eyes, whilst she re-lived the horror of the underground tomb; they always helped calm her down. She finally got to the last part of the story where she jumped infront of the others and heard the purple haired demon's breath hitch.

“Em..why did you do that?” he snapped his head up at her, begging for the truth. “Are you not happy here with m- us? Do you not know how much I- we would all miss you.”

“I..I am it’s just..in that moment I’d accepted my fate.” she smiled sadly at him. “Levi.. depression doesn’t just go away, to be honest with you I’m not sure I’ll ever truly be cured of it, but I promise you I am happy with everyone here, with you...maybe a little too happy.” Em laughed at the irony, the happiest time in her life was being surrounded by demons and living with some of the most powerful beings in the realm.  
  
He looked at her painfully; hearing her say she’d never be truly cured hurt him, he didn’t want her to feel tormented or any sort of depression in her life. “If there’s anything I can do to help make your life a little easier or better just let me know..I’m sorry I’m not an expert in this kind of thing but just know...I-I’m here for you, don’t forget that, we all are.”

“Thank you Levi, I won’t forget that.” she gave him a heartfelt smile and placed her hand on his arm. “I really mean it when I say I’m the happiest here, you’ve helped me grow so much.” a light blush formed on her cheeks and she looked back over to the TV. “Should we watch something a little more upbeat? I feel a bit down and well, you’re right Fruits Hamper isn’t the happiest thing in the world ah! But only for a bit, I still want to finish the season tonight!”

“Sure..what do you want to do?” The otaku demon stood up and glanced around his room, he was never short on options for fun things for them to do together.

“How about we play some Bario Kart and I can quite literally run laps around you.” she pulled her tongue out teasingly at him.

“You’re going to regret asking.” he shrugged as he grabbed the Zwitch controllers and moved up close to her on the sofa again leaning in with a smug expression. “I’ve been practicing my drifts”.

  
"Be prepared to eat dirt" she teased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *laughs in evil writer for that pocky scene*
> 
> Long chapter because my uploads might be a little skewiffy for the next few weeks, I'll still be working on it but my business is picking back up now and it's hard to juggle. Plus as we move into the meat of the story I'm finding it harder to write.
> 
> What happens in the next chapter is hinted in this one ;) its easy to miss.


	46. Body Snatcher

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Em has a chat with Satan but Lucifer interrupts and things go from 0 to 100.

Ems POV

  
Em: I had a great time last night!

Em: Considering you said you didn’t like shoujo who would’ve thought you’d cry 

Em: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Leviathan: ASDFGTYHUJIKOL

Leviathan: YOU PROMISED YOU WOULDN’T BRING IT UP!

Leviathan: I told you, there was just something in my eye! ಠ~ಠ

Em: Sorry yes

Em: Something in your eye ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Em: Something called tears

Leviathan: I swear you’re asking for it >:(

Leviathan: Besides, you were crying too!

Em: I thought you said you just had something in your eye? (¬‿¬)

Leviathan: ¬_¬

Leviathan: I had a great time too ^^ 

Leviathan: Are you up to anything today? 

Em: LOL smooth transition!

Em: I’m actually on my way to see Satan

Em: I’m picking up some books 

Leviathan: Oh? Which ones? ^^

Em: Oh just..books, nothing interesting ◔ ⌣ ◔

Em cringed as she recalled the list she’d sent Satan. If she’d told Levi the titles or authors of any of them it was as good as a confession as far as she was concerned, and she had a feeling Satan would ask her about them today; but honestly she didn’t mind him knowing, if there was one brother she knew who could keep a secret it was him. 

Looking down at the chatroom app she couldn’t help but notice that Levi’s responses were far and few between and he seemed to be a little down today; at least that was the tone she was reading his texts in.

Em: Everything okay :( ?

Leviathan: Sorry yeah I’m good

Leviathan: LOL books? How mysterious of you ;)

_I can’t help but think you’re lying...do you maybe know I tried to kiss you last night?_

_Maybe you feel the same way?_

_Pfft who am I kidding.._

Em: And how OOC of you ;) they’re normie titles, you wouldn’t be interested

Leviathan: Hah I guess you’re right

Leviathan: Sorry for prying...

_Ugh..now I feel bad, he was just trying to make conversation._

Leviathan: Well I’ll go get this assignment done, have fun with your totally normie books!

Em: Oh okay thanks ^^;

Em: You too, have a good day!

Em cursed herself as his icon went dark, there was no doubt in her mind that she’d come across overly defensive to him there or offended him in some way. Memories of the previous night surfaced in her mind, it had been a rather eventful time. Levi had somehow ended up on top of her on his sofa after some flirting turned into wrestling, she’d almost kissed him out of pure selfish desire and then he’d asked her about her depression; which had sent shivers down her spine. Em didn’t want to talk about her dark past with the light of her life, he was such a bright and bubbly soul; knowing anything more about her would surely disgust him to his core, and even though he kept insisting he wanted to know everything about her, she would never reveal herself completely to him for his own sake.

_I didn’t lie to him last night though, just being with him I can feel my depression being beaten down; it’ll never fade completely but around him I feel like I can breathe, and I always look forward to another day._

_Being with everyone helps in some way but I can’t believe I’m nineteen soon...how old are the brothers, like in human years? If..if I were to date Levi then physically what age could I call my boyfriend? He has the face of a teenage boy but the body and voice of at least a 21 year old. Maybe I could ask Satan? Lucifer I’d definitely place around mid 20s, same as Mammon even though he acts like a child sometimes._

“Em, is everything okay?” Satan stood there frowning, looking concerned. He’d answered the door a few seconds ago but the human girl seemed to be quite occupied inside her own headspace, another similarity between her and his brother.

“H-huh? Oh! S-sorry I didn’t even see you there!” Em composed herself and shook away the thoughts inside her head. The introverted brother was wearing his go-to casual attire today, a dark blue blazer draped over his shoulders with a light green v-neck sweater, a pair of teal blue pants and a stylish white and gold leather belt. On his feet were some slippers, which Em couldn’t help but chuckle at.

_OH MY GOD I NEED THOSE SLIPPERS!_

Satan raised an eyebrow. “Is there something amusing?” he hadn’t even realized he’d forgotten to change them, the book lover had been too engrossed in the latest crime novel he was reading when Em had knocked which in turn reminded him he’d have company today.

“I’m not laughing _at_ you but uhh, I actually think those slippers are adorable and I want a pair..” she giggled innocently whilst pointing down at his feet, they were fluffy black and white cats with cute threaded whiskers and embroidered faces, Satans eyes widened slightly and he shuffled back behind his door so just his head was on display, his ears burned in embarrassment. 

“Ahh, w-well just give me a second to change. I didn’t realize I was still wearing these..” he muttered as he slammed the door over himself making Em jump slightly. After a few minutes and some mumbled cursing from the other side of the lime green door Satan swung it back open and gestured for her to go inside.

_Who knew Satan could be so cute!_

Em welcomed the sight of the mountains of books in Satan's room and sat in her usual chair, facing the window, the Avatar of Wrath boiled the kettle and placed two ornate tea cups on the table, resting on the arm of the other chair temporarily as the tea brewed.

“So Em, I was able to find these books; but I’m curious why you didn’t just ask about them in the Library? But then I suppose I can understand why you didn’t...they are a little...telling.” he smirked, chuckling a little as he reached for the box of novels he’d acquired for her. Satan grabbed one of the spines and raised an eyebrow. “I can’t help but notice...all of these books are love stories, care to share the reason for the sudden interest?”

“W-well I don’t see what’s so strange Satan, I used to borrow tragic romances all the time.” she smiled innocently.

“Yes but..these books are all really similar, in fact I read the summaries…” Satan grinned playfully at her, it was too much fun winding her up like this; it wasn’t the same as when he tormented Levi but it was all the more satisfying as Em would never raise her voice she’d just squirm and let her body language do all the talking. “ And they’re all about falling in love with your best friend, now Em...tell me; why are you reading things like this?” 

_Why am I even trying to hide it from him anymore?_

“I...I wanted to learn.” she played with the strap on her bag nervously.

“Learn? Care to expand on that?” Satan stood up and walked over to the now hissing kettle, returning with it as he poured the tea into the cups, listening intently as she stammered on. 

“I recently uhhh..realized I may have a crush..on a f-friend.” the raven haired girl snapped her head at the blonde haired demon. “And before you even think of mentioning his name..no it’s not Solomon.” she laughed and then shuddered slightly as she recalled the violation on her cheek in the café.

“I wasn’t thinking it was Solomon at all, I know you and him are close but you clearly have no interest in him in that way. No...I was thinking maybe you had a thing for a certain purple haired shut in brother of mine.”

“J-jeez Satan you don’t sugarcoat it do you…” Em stared up at him with her mouth agape at the bluntness.

“To be honest Em, I’m tired of sugar coating things with bot- with everyone.” He bit his lip, in a moment of weakness he had almost spilled his brother's secret, thankfully Em wasn’t the brightest crayon in the box and easily overlooked things due to her brain never turning off. “Anyway, I’m right aren’t I? You have feelings for Levi?”

“Y-you’re right I do, but shouldn't you be a little...well more shocked?” Em chewed on the inner corner of her cheek. “I was actually hoping for some advice...sorry I know I’m greedy, you’ve gone out of your way to get these books for me and here I am asking for more.”

“Should I? Have you not SEEN yourself around him?" he chuckled." But don’t be silly Em, I’d be more than happy to give you some advice if...if I could get some in return.” Satan sipped his tea, staring straight ahead as he buried his feelings down, there was no-one else he could turn to about this, his brothers wouldn’t understand and Levi already had enough on his plate with Solomon, Lucifer and Em.

“O-oh o-of course!” Em stared at the introvert in shock, Satan never talked about himself when she visited, although she had an inkling this would be about Abaddon. Ever since the night of the party the red headed demoness seemed to have been in a bad mood, she wasn’t laughing or joking as much as she did with Solomon and Em between customers, and she was cooping herself up in her office more and more like she was scared of coming out.

"Actually before we get to that, how are you Em? Are you..feeling more at peace with yourself nowadays?"

"What do you mean, Satan?"

"About your..departed friend. Sorry for asking, I just hope you're not beating yourself up about him." The introvert combed back his golden locks, feeling a little regretful of bringing Nate up.

"O-oh...to be honest with you, I've not really had much time to think about him recently." she shuffled uncomfortably. "I do feel a bit guilty for moving on so quickly though, when I realized how I felt about Levi it was like a truck hit me and knocked Nate out of my head." 

Satan chuckled. "Well there's nothing to feel bad about, you said it'd been three years since his death? Em, you can't stand still for the rest of your life just because you feel guilty. I'm personally relieved you've come to accept your feelings so early into your stay here. Have you decided what to do with them?"

"M-my feelings? Well..that's what the books are for..research. I was hoping they'd help me figure the answer out." she stroked her arm sheepishly.

"Haha, well I can't blame you for thinking that way but...sometimes you're the only one who can make that decision. Your life is far more different than any of these couples." Satan took another sip of his tea and gestured to her politely."Right, so what can I help you with?"

_He's right... but it still couldn't hurt to read through them._

“Well, it’s actually a few things...sorry…” she winced. Satan said nothing but nodded in agreement. “I’ll start with the smallest thing, it’s more of a question really. How old in human years are all of you? Or well would you consider yourselves to be, I don’t care how old Levi is it’s more of a curiosity.”

“Hah, no need to explain yourself Em. You’re quite right to be a little concerned about our ages. Lucifer would be around 25 give or take. Mammon is 23, Levi is harder to pinpoint but I would say he is 21 or 22; maybe 21 due to his childish ways. I know you didn’t ask about the rest of us but I know you’re curious, Asmodeus is 20, I’d consider myself to be around 20 too physically; but in terms of power and will I’m closer to 22.. And Beel is the youngest of us, he’s the same age as you will be 19; physically and mentally speaking of course. They’re the ages we use when we visit your realm at the very least.”

_That means Belphie is 19 too then..._

“Wow, huh you know I never thought about this but RAD..it’s more a college than a school isn’t it? I mean in the human realm you leave school when you’re 18 and you go on to further education like college or University; a-at least you do in England.” Em smiled knowing her best friends estimated age. “I’m a little relieved Levi isn’t 40 or something though I’ll admit.” she laughed sheepishly. “That might’ve been a little awkward.”

Satan chuckled. “So 4000 years doesn’t bother you but forty does? You’re a strange woman. But about the academy you’re right, I think Diavolo just calls it a school because he’s old so everyone is like a child compared to him...right, what was your other question.” he pressed, still oddly amused at the age question.

_He’s right...I’m being silly. I just thought it would be hard to explain if I had to go back to the human realm..people would surely ask questions about my boyfriend; t-that is IF he even felt the same way._

_I keep talking about it like it’s going to happen._

_It's like my heart has already decided that I want to be with him, now I just need my mind to catch up._

“I was wondering how I could help Levi’s confidence...he still doesn’t leave his room, and I completely understand that he feels comfortable in there but, well…”

“You don’t want to sit in his room all day every day if you were to make your relationship something more?” He finished the sentence for her.

“Y-yes. I was a shut in myself in the human realm and well..the world is a beautiful place and I realize how much I missed out when I came here. I love spending time with him, watching animé and playing games but, I-want...I want to explore new places with him, maybe even walk hand in hand i-if we were ever to date, this all probably sounds ridiculous to you doesn’t it?”

_I don’t want to change him, I just want him to feel a little more comfortable with leaving his room._

_I realized yesterday when I was with Solomon that I’ve never been able to do that with Levi..._

“It actually doesn’t, it’s natural you’d want to make memories with him; more than sitting around in his room every day. I’ve been wondering how to drag him out of there myself for decades but I think you’d probably be the best bet, Em.” he chuckled at her confused expression. “Levi is willing to leave his room to spend time with you, I think you just need to ask him, give him reasons to leave the House. I don’t think you’ll ever get him running into the Academy though; Levi hates people and can’t concentrate around them.”

Em bit her lip and pulled a face. “Ugh, but that means I’d have to ask him on a d-date? I don’t know if I could do that Satan..”

“Hmmm what makes you call it a date Em? When you spend time with Asmodeus or Mammon, do you consider that a date? Is our time together today a date to you? I think you’re worrying too much; though I know that’s something you and Levi have in common”

“You’re right...do you think if I asked him to go somewhere with me as a birthday present he’d come?” she winced.

“I don’t think you need to hide it under any false pretences Em, like I said. Just ask him and I’m as sure as night follows day, he’ll say yes.” he laughed at the inside joke to himself but frowned at her hesitant expression, it was something she was still too scared of doing. Satan sighed. “I can ask for you if you want? But I really think it’s better coming from you...go on, ask him now and I’ll even give you a thumbs up before you send it.”

“O-oh g-mephisto...alright, you win.” She winced and pulled out her DDD, smiling as the Burnewt keyring spun around on it’s cord.

_This is the first gift he ever gave me..._

Em: Hey, are you there?

Em: Sorry if you're busy, I just have something to ask you.

Leviathan: Hey ^^ 

Leviathan: It's totally fine, what’s up?

Em bit her nails and looked up at Satan who smiled reassuringly at her, nodding as if to beckon her, she took a deep breath and a quick gulp of her tea.

Em: I was wondering if maybe you wanted to join me for lunch sometime?

Before she hit send, her eyes glanced upwards to Satan again, he slowly raised his hand and flicked his thumb in the upright position. “Make it clear you want to go outside though, he might think you mean in the hall or in each other's room knowing my brother. He may be one of the smartest siblings of mine but he can be a little stupid sometimes.”

“O-oh thanks.” she hit send and quickly typed up a follow up.

Em: Maybe we could go to Limbo or Hell's Kitchen sometime?

A few minutes passed and Levi was still typing. “H-he’s taking a while to answer Satan, do you think he’s going to say no?”

“Stay positive Em, give him a minute.” The blonde haired brother chuckled, he knew for a fact Levi was probably having a full on meltdown right now and was reading the message over and over in disbelief whilst deleting all his responses.

Leviathan: OK which one of you assholes has her phone?

Leviathan: Mammon is it you?

Satan facepalmed as he read the message over her shoulder. “See...stupid. Just reassure him..”

Em: It’s me, Em. The owner of this phone ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Em turned her phone around and snapped a quick picture of herself smiling and sent it, with Satan facepalming in the background. 

Leviathan: LOL what’s with Satan?

Leviathan: Oh whoops okay, I was just checking someone hadn’t stolen your DDD ^^

Leviathan: But sure, that sounds great.

Leviathan: How about this Friday? I have some free time in the afternoon and you’re not in work till the evening right?

Em: I am but how did you know ◉_◉

Leviathan: Well you told me you always work Friday nights ^^

Leviathan: Sorry if that came off creepy ⚆ _ ⚆

Em: It didn’t! I’m just shocked you pay that much attention LOL

Leviathan: Why wouldn’t I? I listen to everything you say :)

Em smiled down at her phone screen, completely zoning out forgetting Satan was right next to her. He raised an eyebrow and coughed. “Well I helped you acquire a date, and you know our ages...may I ask you for some advice now?”

“Wait I thought you said it wasn’t a date! But s-sorry yeah, I’ll just let him know I’m going offline.”

Em: Thank you!

Em: Right, I’ve got to go again

Em: I’ll talk to you later!

Leviathan: Np

Leviathan: I’ll see you later ^^

She turned her DDD on silent and put it back in her pocket, after how much Satan had helped her, with the books and the advice she didn’t want any interruptions when she tried to help him. “Right, sorry. What can I help you with?”

“Has...has Abbadon mentioned me at all recently?” Satan asked, sucking the inside of his cheek anxiously. “I’m sure you know what happened the evening of the party..”

“Huh? What happened?” 

“She didn’t tell you? Hah...I really am an idiot.” He couldn’t help but feel a little hurt that Abaddon hadn’t even thought to mention what had happened between them to Em; was he not even worth a passing mention anymore? “After escorting her home, Abaddon invited me inside her apartment.” Satan coughed awkwardly. “Things got a little...well I won’t talk about that, I’m sure you can use your imagination, we were both quite drunk. A-Anyway she suddenly pulled away from me and told me she was seeing someone else and that things were getting quite serious...I left immediately after that, and then I got this text the next morning.” Satan pulled out his lime green phone with record speed and started reading the message. “Satan, I’m really sorry for my behaviour last night, I don’t know what I was thinking. I didn’t mean to confuse you or take advantage of you but I need you to know that something like that can never happen between us again, I want to move on with my life; I’ve been hung up over you for the past few hundred years and I understand you could never give me what I need. As much as I hate to say this, please stop coming to the Library when I’m working; it doesn’t do either of us any good. This is the last text I’ll send you, goodbye my Satey. Abby”

The blonde haired demon trembled a little as he breathed out and slumped back into his chair. “What should I do, Em? I know it's silly of me to ask you I just-I needed someone to share this with, our family isn’t exactly the closest anymore, and as far as I know my brothers wouldn’t have a clue how to handle this sort of thing”  
  
Em frowned and scratched the back of her head in thought. “Well..what do you want to do Satan? Like, do you want to get back together with her? Or do you just want her to talk to you again?”

“I...I’m not quite sure to be honest. I don’t want to lose her as a friend, but a relationship isn’t something that would come easily to me.” 

“C-can I ask why you broke up in the first place? And what does she mean by things you can’t give her?” she tilted her head curiously, hoping she wasn’t being too nosey. “Sorry if I’m overstepping here..”

“It’s alright, you’re not.” he smiled at her and then rested his head on his hand, finishing his cup of tea. “I’ve had trouble expressing my emotions other than rage since I was created. This is hard to get your head around but, when I was first born out of my brother's rage I was more of an amalgamation of it, and then somehow a body grew around me, but I was nothing but a puppet, an empty shell. Everyone of my brothers poured a little part of themselves into my personality but Lucifer spent the most time with me; so I absorbed most of his personality.” he spat out with resentment. “All that Abaddon ever wanted was for me to love her. I think I do deep down but, I was never able to show her, in my actions or my words; it just didn’t come naturally to me...our relationship was more of a umm..physical one.” Satan blushed, feeling incredibly embarrassed but Em just listened to him, absorbing the information like a mini human processor and then finally spoke after a few minutes.

“I think you need to talk to her Satan, she’s been acting very strangely at work lately. You know she never comes out of her office anymore? And when she does she doesn’t stick around to talk to me or Solomon anymore. I think she’s hurting over you...and honestly? I’m not sure if she has met someone else; I’ve never seen them and she’s never mentioned anything before. I’m sure if you just talk to her as honestly as you have been with me today you’ll be able to work through things together”.Em winced a little. “S-sorry if that’s bad advice, I’m really not good with this sort of thing, I mean I have little to no experience..”

“That actually wasn’t bad advice Em, thank you. You’re right, I should just swallow my pride and talk to her sometime; maybe tomorrow..hmm..well;, was there anything else you wanted my help with?”

“Not help per say, but ugh you just reminded me that something happened with Levi yesterday..”Em twitched and started fiddling with her hands, nervously as she remembered the purple haired demon lying on top of her, he wasn’t as heavy as she’d imagined him being but under his shirt she’d felt those abs pressed against her stomach, and how husky his breathing was, she bit her lip hungrily at the memories.

_He was so sexy...no wonder I couldn't control myself._

Satan raised an eyebrow at her lusting expression, he could’ve easily mistaken her for Asmodeus right now. “Ahem, go on?” he waved his hand in front of her, causing her to recoil and snap out of her trance like state.

“A-ah yeah hahaha” Em cringed. “I don’t want to go into details but somehow we-”

Suddenly there was a rather loud knock on the door, Satan rolled his eyes and held out his finger signalling for her to stop talking; from the volume and rudeness of the knock he knew exactly who it was, and he didn’t have the patience for Lucifer right now, plus if Lucifer got wind of what Em was talking about there would quite literally be murder. He gestured to the box of love novels and mouthed for Em to hide them, she did as she was told and pushed it under the chair, throwing her bag in front of the gap.

“Ahh Em, you’re with the leech. Sorry to disturb you both. Diavolo requests your assistance with something in the academy so you need to stop whatever you’re doing and come with me” the oldest brother demanded and gestured towards the blonde.

“Can you not see that we’re having an important discussion right now Lucifer? I really don’t care about helping you keep up appearances with your boyfriend.” Satan felt his demonic power increasing, just the sight of his lying, backstabbing and secretive brother was enough for his usually contained wrath to bubble up to the surface. And with all of the added stress in his life lately, it was the cherry on top of an outburst. “Have you ever heard of manners in your entire life?”

Lucifer sensed the rise in demonic power within his brother, and noted that Em was within striking distance if things took a turn for the worst. “Calm down. Don’t give in to your rage, Satan.”

“ _You’re_ telling _me_ not to give into _my_ rage?! _You’re_ really telling me that? **YOU** of all demons?!” Satan yelled, already too far gone; now a slave to his wrath.

_I’ve never seen Satan this angry...he’s terrifying!_

“What in Devildom is the matter with you lately!- Satan…” Lucifer's eyes widened in horror for Ems sake, all of the books on the shelves were shuddering and started to fly off one by one at breakneck speed; hurling right at the jet black haired demon brother. “Em, hide yourself!”

Em said nothing and did as she was told, crawling under the table and making sure all of her limbs were tucked safely beneath, the velocity of the books was enough to slice a leg off if she got unlucky.

Lucifer bat away the books as if they were nothing but flies. “Didn’t you hear me? I said, stop.” he marched further inside his brothers room, in an attempt to calm him down.

“Don’t you dare tell me what to do and how to feel! And don’t touch _my_ books!” Satan yelled, it was too much to bear anymore; he launched himself at his older brother, but Lucifer grabbed his jumper and pulled him towards him.”G-get off me! I am SICK of you lording it over all of us, controlling us! You don’t think we have feelings of our own? Dreams? Some things don’t involve you so why do you have to stick your big nose in everyone's business!”

Satan summoned more books, but one in particular was flung towards them both; one he hadn’t meant to throw. “I have no idea what you’re talking about, but you need a time out brother.” The crimson eyed brother recognised the book and grabbed it “Wait...this book, it looks like-?”

“WAIT DON’T TOUCH THA-” Satan yanked the book from Lucifer's grasp and there was a flash of white light.

* * *

Levi’s POV.

He still couldn’t believe it, Em had asked him on a date.

_Okay don’t get ahead of yourself, it might not be a date._

_But still, I can’t stop smiling._

Earlier that day he’d been worried and a little hurt at how secretive she was being, she hadn’t even wanted to tell him what books she was reading and it added fuel to the fires of his insecurity. He had at long last asked her about the tomb and her depression, but it just raised further questions for him. So when Em messaged him inviting him somewhere he had leapt at the chance, especially if they would be alone together.

_Ugh that reminds me, I need to tell Satan and Beel that Solomon might not be totally evil._

_I'm still not sure but..we need more intel._

**Private chat between: Satan, Mammon, Beelzebub and Leviathan.**

Beelzebub: Wait I'm confused...Levi YOU'RE saying you think Solomons innocent?

Beelzebub: Well I'm a bit confused how you changed your tune so quickly but I did tell you guys…:(

Leviathan: I’m not saying he’s 100% innocent, but maybe I was wrong about him.

Leviathan: I don’t know, I still get a weird feeling around him, like in my gut.

Leviathan: At the very least I don't think he was brought here for anything sinister.

Leviathan: And as MUCH as I HATE to say it. He cares about Em, I don't think he'd hurt her.

Beelzebub: Maybe you’re just hungry?

Leviathan: no it’s a stronger emotion than that Beel… ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Beelzebub: It’s probably jealousy then bro :( I did warn you.

Beelzebub: You need to do something about it, it’s even affecting your views on people :\

Mammon: Oi hang on, Levi might not be totally crazy

Mammon: I think Solomons a jerk too.

Beelzebub: it’s a bit weird that you’re suddenly on Levi’s side Mammon...any reason?

Mammon: No reason! I just think there’s somethin' funny with that jerk too.

Beelzebub: So Levi thinks Solomons innocent but now you suddenly hate him? 

Beelzebub: What do you guys know that I don't? ಠ_ಠ

_I'm sorry Beel..I know I tell you everything but you'd be so disappointed in me if you knew what I did._

Levi and Mammon hadn’t told Satan or Beel about what went down in the café the previous day, they didn’t want one of Satans temper tantrums especially with the fact they’d gone behind his back and jeopardised the entire investigation, whereas Levi had told Mammon everything that had happened, the kiss on the cheek; Solomons harrowing backstory.

All the otaku felt was guilt and shame towards how he acted with the sorcerer but Mammon felt like Levi had been right about the sorcerer all along; especially after hearing about him kissing Em on the cheek. Even Levi couldn't help but think that his silver haired brother was letting his own envy cloud his judgement.

The purple haired demon ruffled his bangs in frustration, he was overloaded with stress right now and Em wasn’t making it any easier for him. Just before the intense conversation about her depression he’d accidentally landed on top of her and almost kissed her, something he knew for sure she’d never forgive him for. But his feelings for the human were only growing, causing him to struggle more and more as the days went on; he was terrified that one day it would all just come spilling out randomly if something like last night happened again.

And after they'd finally returned to watching the rest of Fruits Hamper, the atmosphere had changed a little between them and they both sat further apart than usual. It worried Levi.

_I probably scared her_

_Would being alone with her be a good idea after all?_

_I..I'd never take advantage of her but, it's hard to keep my feelings contained._

_What if I slip up? About how I feel or about being at Limbo._

He was interrupted from his thoughts by an urgent sounding banging on the door.

_Strange...that force...it almost sounds like Lucifer?_

Levi raised an eyebrow and walked towards the source. “W-who is it?”

“ **It’s me, I need to talk to you Levi!”** the deep voice roared, sounding incredibly out of character in a panicked and trembling voice.

_Did he just call me Levi?_

_Wait no, is Lucifer SCARED?_

He wasted no more time and swung the door open and was greeted by a very anxious looking man with jet black hair, his clothes slightly dishevelled and some holes through his cape. “ **I’VE GOT NO TIME TO EXPLAIN, WE NEED TO FIND LUCIFER!** ”

Levi looked at him in bewilderment. “Lucifer...did you just refer to yourself in third person?” Had his brother's narcissism finally tipped over the edge? He couldn't help but mock his unhinged sibling, it was too good to be true.

_This is like Christmas and my birthday all in one day, Lucifer has finally lost it._

_Well I call that karma dear brother._

“Huh? what? Oh..” Lucifer(?) looked down at his clothes and touched his face as if it disgusted him, wiping his gloved hand on his pants. “Levi, it’s me. Satan!” Levi said nothing and raised an eyebrow, scanning his brother up and down and then shook his head in case he’d fallen asleep and was now in some sort of twisted dream.

_If this is a dream I think I'd prefer Em knocking on the door in a two piece swimsuit or something..._

_So maybe this is really happening?_

Lucifer(?) held his head in his hands. “Levi it’s really me..we don’t have time for this!” he grew more panicked with every second his brother ignored his pleas for help, they were in huge trouble right now, he gripped the otaku's shoulders and shook gently in an attempt to knock him out of his stupor.  
  
“Sorry it’s just...this is a bit like My Name right now, you haven’t felt Lucifers body up have you?” Levi giggled, a little in shock as to what was happening.

 **“LEVI!** I don't think you understand the gravity of this situation right now! Lucifer has **MY** phone! You know what that means right? He’ll be able to access our private chat and read everything on there!” 

Levi snapped out of his humor instantly and matched that of Satans(?) anxiety. “W-w-wait seriously? Shit! We need to find him, fast.”

“That’s what I’ve been trying to tell you!” the crimson eyed demon facepalmed. “He went towards his office I think, there’s a chance he won’t know how to access my phone but I have facial recognition software on it, so after a few attempts it’ll ask for his photo..and with my face it won’t take him long to go snooping in all of my chats.”

“Oh shit, wait! Weren’t you with Em earlier? How did this even happen?”

“Levi...I’ll explain on the way but we seriously don’t have a lot of time, Diavolo has been messaging me- I mean Lucifer's phone none stop, apparently he wanted my help with something so if Lucifer isn’t answering who do you think the Demon prince will call next…?”

He watched as Levi connected the dots.

“You….oh jeez, this is a nightmare.” the otaku whined. This was far too much excitement for him for one day, why couldn’t his life just be simple for 24 hours?

“Come on! And message the others, we might need their help!” Satan(?) grabbed Levi by the arm and attempted to drag him down the corridor, but Levi didn’t budge easily. 

_Interesting, it looks like even though Satan is in Lucifer's body he still has his own power level._

Levi took pity on his brother and closed the door after them, both pacing hurriedly towards Lucifer's office.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And we're here folks, the body swapping arc! It might get a little confusing but I'll do my best with it. I'll be honest with you, I'm at the edge of my seat waiting to write the next arc after this ;)
> 
> On another note, I hope those ages are alright, I also cleared up an error I made on the first chapter by calling it a school. I've always thought of the academy more of a college due to the things they get up to in the game. Like "hargwarts" for adults :')
> 
> Oh and we are NOT writing off Solomon being a dick lol, trust me.  
> Uploads really will be a little all over the place after this, it all depends on how quickly I can get my work finished.


	47. Power Struggle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Satan run to Lucifers office and call for backup. A lot of humour in this chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I didn't want things to get too confusing so the names in bold are the names of the people actually speaking.  
> Lucifer in bold = lucifer in satans body and vice versa :)

Leviathan: @Beelzebub @Mammon

Leviathan: Meet us outside Lucifers office ASAP

Mammon: Whaaaaa why?! ◉_◉

Beelzebub: I don’t understand..?

Beelzebub: Are we breaking in or something?

Beelzebub: Also you dodged my question earlier :(

Leviathan: No time to explain

Leviathan: Just come >_>

Levi threw his DDD in his jacket pocket. “They’re on their way...I hope.” he sighed and gestured towards Lucifer's body. “Right so are you going to tell me how..this happened?” 

_I’m still mad at you but I guess it’ll have to wait until we get your stupid phone back._  
  
 **Satan** groaned in response. “Ugh, fine. Em and I were just having a heart to heart and our high and mighty brother interrupted, I got a little..angry; I blame you for the majority of the stress by the way, and then we accidentally both touched a cursed book at the same time! That book is renowned for switching the bodies of two people who happen to touch it at the same time, I wasn’t in my right mind okay? I was furious.” 

“Well gee I’m sorry for being the bane of your existence, I guess nothing changes there..” Levi averted his gaze feeling his resentment growing, then suddenly snapped his head up at the mention of Em.“But what happened to Em? Is she okay? Why isn’t she with you?” He threw a worried look towards his brother, still a little weirded out Satan's words were coming from Lucifer's lips.

“Well did you want her coming with me to find out about us panicking about that phone? Lucifer sent her back to her room. Relax... she's fine, maybe a little bruised; but fine!” **Satan** clapped his gloved palms together.

Levi glared up at his brother “What do you mean..bruised?”

“Look we don’t have time for this right now” Satan threw his hand to his face, then caught Levi burning a hole into him. “...There’s a possibility that she was thrown into my bookcase when the curse took effect. She did manage to dodge the books I threw though?”

_Nevermind, maybe this is the perfect time to be mad at you!_

**“YOU WHAT?!”** The purple haired demon roared and grabbed Lucifer's tie pulling him towards him. “What were you thinking?!” 

**Satan** huffed and darted his eyes around the corridor, this really wasn’t the best time or place to pick a fight right now.

“Oi Levi what the hell are ya doin to Lucifer? Ya got a deathwish or somethin’?!” A familiar voice called out from the other end of the corridor. Mammon had been the first brother to show up and as he was texting Em he had heard voices, upon looking up from his DDD he had seen Levi in a threatening stance with their eldest brother. As far as he knew it really was Lucifer Levi looked about to beat up.

“Mammon it’s me!” **Satan** said, to no avail momentarily forgetting he didn’t have the same outward appearance. His silver haired brother just looked even more confused at the vagueness of his words.

_Satan I think you need to be more direct…_

_Mammon IS an idiot afterall._

Mammon narrowed his eyes and his face scrunched in confusion.“Ya..it's you? And that’s Levi...and I’m me..”he said whilst pointing at everyone. “A-are ya feeling alright Lucifer? Did ya run into a street lamp again?” 

**Satan** facepalmed. “Ugh, it’s ME. Satan!” he sighed, how in Devildom would he prove something so unbelievable? He could share information that only he would know, or he could do something insanely out of character for Lucifer. That might work, he thought.

He sighed as he crawled on all fours, lifting his arm up like a paw pretending to beg for food. “Meow, meow..” upon seeing Mammon and Levi’s bemused faces he bounced back up on his feet immediately. “Okay okay, do you believe me now? Lucifer would NEVER do that.” 

“PFFFFFFFFFFFF” Levi threw his hand over his mouth to stifle his laughter, they were still out in the open after all. It was no good, he broke into a fit of giggles and had to hold onto Mammon for support, but he also lost his composure completely after hearing their emotionless robot brother meowing in a deadpan tone.

Mammon wiped a stray tear from his eye, and Levi had to take several deep breaths to calm down. But the second eldest sibling hadn’t had enough fun with this yet. “Uhhh nope sorry, I’m still not convinced…” he shrugged his shoulders and smirked. “Ya could just be doing that to mess with me.”  
  
“Oh for the love of Mephisto..” **Satan** sighed and put on a higher voice. “Hi I’m Lucifer and I can’t wait to get married to that sexy demon prince Diavolo!” he got a little too into mocking his brother and held himself pouting. “If only he knew what raunchy dreams I had about him every night, I just want him to hold me in those big strong arms...” suddenly he paused. 

“Wait wait, I have a better one! Me and Ruri-chan are going to be together forever!” The introvert exclaimed whilst making a heart with his fingers, swaying his hips enthusiastically. “She’s my waifu for laifu!...did I say that right, Levi?”

“P-perfect pffff”Levi and Mammon once again lost themselves and doubled over in silent laughter, little did they know someone else had seen and heard everything too. “You’re totally forgiven for everything…” the purple haired brother wheezed out.

_I’m never forgetting this moment…_

_I wish I’d recorded it!_ _  
__  
_“Uhhh did I hear that right....or did I eat something funny?” their red haired brother marched up to them from the other end of the corridor, looking baffled. “Lucifer are you ok…? You look a little pale” he frowned in concern.

“What are you talking ab-” **Satan** suddenly felt dizzy all of a sudden and staggered backwards, hunched over in exhaustion. “I...I feel…” he fell to the ground with a thud, completely knocked out, Lucifer's cape slumped over his face.

Levi and Mammon immediately stopped laughing and ran over to their unconscious brother. “What the hell, Satan! Are you okay?” 

“Satan? Guys what’s going on here?” Beel narrowed his eyes at his brothers and then looked back down to Lucifer's unconscious body, someone had some explaining to do.

A lighter framed figure made itself known and ran full speed towards the group.“Oh I finally found you guys! EM IT’S THE SAME WITH SATAN!” Asmodeus held his DDD in midair like he was about to call someone. The raven haired girl came running over too, looking stressed out.

“Em…? What happened? What’s wrong?” Levi asked upon seeing her looking distressed, she also had a few purple bruises and scrapes on her.

_I revoke my forgiveness ,I’m going to kill Satan._

“Ugh, long story..” she panted. “The same happened with Sa-no sorry, Lucifer! He just passed out mid sentence!” Em wasn’t lying, as soon as Satan had run full speed down to Levi’s room, Lucifer had been walking back to his office escorted by Em. Only when they tried to enter they heard three low growls. Cerberus didn’t recognise Lucifer's scent as he was trapped in another body and after a few failed attempts of trying to get the three headed canine to come around Em suggested he sit in her room whilst they worked out a solution to this bizarre problem.

It suddenly dawned on her that it was a bit strange to see Levi, Beel and Mammon together outside of Lucifer's office. “Wait what are you guys even doing here?”

“W-we just came to check on Lucifer to see if he was alright.” Beel lied and grinned sheepishly at Em and Asmodeus.

“Oh..well he’s in my room, come on! Bring Satan..or Lucifer...ugh.” she shook her head dismissing the curiosity for more pressing matters.

_Why is Lucifer of all demons in Ems room..?_

Everyone followed Em to her room, Beelzebub carried Lucifer's body over his shoulder as he was the strongest physically, Levi tried to help but his 6’4 brother weighed a tonne. 

* * *

“Okay, just place him next to Sat-Lucifer. Jeez we need to give them name badges or something...” Em bit the inside of her cheek. Beelzebub obeyed her command and lay his brother on the bed next to Satan's body. 

“Well they’re still breathing so they’re not dead~” Asmodeus chimed in helpfully.

“No duh, we’re immortal...” Levi rolled his eyes and glanced up at Em. “Are you alright? Maybe you should sit down too..” he said in a concerned and hospitable tone, wanting nothing more than to cradle her in his arms and tend to her wounds.

_I can’t believe they both let her get hurt..again!_

_She’s so fragile..._

“I’m alright, thanks though.” she smiled at him sweetly and then turned her head to the knocked out brothers splayed over her bed. “So does anyone know why they conked out like this?”

“Conked out?” Beel raised an eyebrow, it must have been an English phrase. The other siblings also tilted their heads waiting for the definition.

“Sorry it slips out when I'm stressed...it just means faint..anyway, what should we do?” Em threw her hands up in the air, feeling a little nervous as she’d managed to stuff her novels into her bag after stumbling up from being knocked into the bookcase, Lucifer had been too occupied with coming to terms with his new body. She shifted her eyes down to the offending bag and her eyes lit up as an idea came to her.

“You guys should probably go get Diavolo or something, unless anyone here knows how to switch two bodies back?” She said impatiently, chewing her lip looking over at Levi innocently.

“If it’s anything like Hamada-kun and the 9 Witches then Lucifer and Satan just need to kiss to switch back LOL '' Levi remarked, laughing nervously remembering Satan's phone was at stake here.

Beel frowned. “I uhh I don’t think that’ll happen anytime soon bro...” he couldn’t help his lip quivering in brief amusement.

“Those two kiss? Levi you’ve got more of a chance of Solomon and Asmo makin’ out.” Mammon remarked whilst scratching his chin at the thought.

_Ew I don’t want to picture that!_

“Ooooh now there is a lovely image~ why do you have to turn me on like that when I can’t do anything about it Mammon!” Asmodeus sighed sensually, getting lost in his own head.

“It was just a joke for Mephisto’s sake...” Levi rolled his eyes. “Em you get it right?” he looked over to her hopefully, his eyes sparkling with nostalgia.

“A-ah yeah o-of course!” She said, not really paying attention due to her focus being on the hidden novels.

Asmodeus sucked his cheek, still coming down from imagining some very raunchy fantasies with the sexy sorcerer..“I’m not sure if Diavolo should know about this, it might stress him out because Lucifer was supposed to give a big speech to some investors in a few days.” The lustful demon couldn’t help but notice Ems gaze kept shifting towards her bag and he smirked, she’d told him about the books the previous day when her and Mammon returned from the Devildom. Feeling guilty for his slip up a few nights ago he decided to help her out a little.

“Hey Em, I’m running out of face cream. Can I borrow some of yours? It’s in **_your bag_** right!” He threw his head suggestively at the black shoulder bag. It took her a few seconds of panic before she realized he hadn’t betrayed her.

“Ohhhh sure! Just take the whole thing into the bathroom Asmo!” She beamed and handed the bag to him, overwhelmingly grateful for her friend. Levi raised an eyebrow as he saw a few books peeking out when Asmodeus passed him and slammed the door behind himself, she had been oddly jumpy when asked about those books.

_It’s not..erotic stuff is it? Like 60 shades of grey?_

_Does Em read that kind of stuff? I mean, I don’t even know anymore; she’s playing otomes and talking with Asmo about dating all of a sudden._

_Maybe it’s not Solomon but someone else..a demon from the academy?_

_...Whatever it’s not important right now._

_“_ Unnnngh” a voice groaned, sounding a little out of it. A mess of blonde hair rose up on the bed, Satan's body was the first to regain consciousness. “What in devildom happened?” **Lucifer** looked at his surroundings. “What are you all doing here?”

“Oh Lucifer you’re awake! How do you feel?” Em asked, relieved that he seemed to be okay.

“How do I feel? Well apart from being stuck in the _leeches_ body, I feel perfectly fine.” he sighed, flicking his now blonde locks in annoyance, grimacing at the change in hair shade. Everyone looked over at him with fear and uncertainty.

Mammon was the one to break the news. “Ya both fainted, well we weren’t here when you did but Satan...” he glanced over to Lucifer's body. “Satan seemed fine and then all of a sudden..”

“Urnngh” The jet black haired body groaned, the next to awaken. “I feel like I’ve drank too much..which is odd because me and Em were drinking nothing but tea?” he rolled over and lifted his head up, facing everyone else who stared down at him in curiosity.

 **Lucifer** smirked. “Well now that you’re up I can finally call a meeting, we need to discuss how things will be working, now that Satan and I have switched bodies.”

“Um, wait a minute. This is Satan talking, which means its Lucifer inside? So then it’s...Lucifer speaking. Man, this is so complicated! Em is right I’m gonna go make name badges.” Mammon ruffled his hair and began searching for a pen and some paper.

“Ugh I hate looking at you and I hate listening to you speak, but even when it's _ME_ I'm looking at, it's still irritating!” **Satan** spat out, furrowing his brows and rolling his eyes in irritation.

“Tsk, how do you think I feel? Having to watch my own lips suffer whilst you drivel on..” **Lucifer** snapped his head up at everyone else. “Anyway you still haven’t answered my question. I can understand why Leviathan would be here seeing as he practically lives here these days...” he muttered. “But the rest of you, what are you all doing here?”

Mammon murmured “uhhh well..ya see”. There was no way to explain to his oldest sibling that Levi had demanded the four brothers concoct a plan to switch the phones, so he stalled for time. “Well..uhhhhhhh” becoming more and more panicked as the seconds went on and no-one was offering him any assistance.

“Yes?” the oldest brother asked, impatiently.

The lustful demon stepped back out of the bathroom and coughed, lowering his voice whilst putting on an accent.“Why should you two be the only ones to watch Em get changed and sleep, even first thing in the mornin'? I'm jealous as hell and I wanna be in on this too dammit!" Is that what you're getting at?” He laughed. “I’m actually only here because I saw Em and I guess..Lucifer? Running in here and I thought maybe there was a bit of scandal~”

Em and Levi had to stifle a laugh both at the mocking and the insinuation something was going on between her and Lucifer of all demons. Beel winced knowing Lucifer would not appreciate the jokes right now. Neither did the Avatar of Greed as his lip curled into a snarl and he threw his hands on his hips in annoyance.

“O-oi stop impersonatin’ me! How old are ya Asmo!” he cried.

“Yeah we’ve had enough of that” the purple haired demon giggled as he remembered their mocking session in the corridors just before Satan collapsed. 

_No no, you can’t lose it here or Lucifer will definitely ask about it._

_I’ve gotta tell Em about it when they all leave though._

**Lucifer** frowned and narrowed his now emerald coloured eyes in suspicion. “What exactly do you mean by that Leviathan?” he folded his arms in disapproval, waiting to hear whatever had tickled his brother so much. The caramel haired brother also took an interest into this and skipped over merrily rubbing his hands in anticipation.

“Yeah Levi, kiss and tell~”

Levi felt all eyes on him along with a sensation that he thanked for the perfect timing. “Uhhhh hey Em! Can I use your bathroom?” He glanced up at her, pleading to be saved from Lucifer's wrath and a lot of questions from him, Ems eyes widened slightly and she cast her gaze at Asmodeus who gave her a very subtle wink of reassurance; he had hidden the novels in the bathroom somewhere that no-one would think to look. 

The human girl breathed a sigh of relief and her heart rate slowed back down, she met Levi with a rather large smile. “Sure!”

Levi couldn’t help but raise his eyebrow a little at the awkward exchange of Asmo and Em; she’d taken a few more seconds than someone normally would to answer such a simplistic question, but then Em could be rather strange at times and secretive of the most menial things. He shrugged it off and nodded as he made his way into the cramped ensuite and closed the door over.

After tending to the call of nature and flushing the toilet, he washed his hands and couldn’t help but keep looking at the black shoulder bag poking out of the cabinet under the sink, temptation started to rise in him.

_Why is her bag hidden in here? I would be lying if I wasn’t tempted to look.._

_No, she’d know. Plus how can you betray her trust like that?_

_But she has been keeping things from me..._

The otaku leant down and hovered his hand over the zip, thankfully Asmodeus’ laughter snapped him out of his torment and he stood up a little too quickly, ashamed of himself for almost breaching his best friend's privacy.

_How would you ever explain yourself, don’t be stupid.  
_

Levi walked back out to the middle of yet another argument between the brothers. Em sighed defeatedly, all she’d wanted to do today was play some more Magic Messenger; find out why her ingame husbando was being distant and maybe flirt a little with her purple haired friend some more before diving into her novels later that evening. She had intended to visit Belphie again but that would have to wait seeing as it looked like Lucifer wouldn’t be leaving her alone anytime soon.

The otaku took a seat next to her and gave her a reassuring smile whilst the two of them watched everyone else bickering, Levi was just disappointed he didn’t have any popcorn.

 **Satan** held his head in his hands,ruffling his hair in frustration. “Look I appreciate none of us understand what’s going on or how to fix this mess but can you all get off the game and be a bit more polite? We’re her guests this evening..” Beel, Mammon and Asmodeus were all fighting over who got to play on the Zwitch and Mammon was playing dirty by spamming shells at the other players over cliff faces.

 **Lucifer** stood up, stumbling a little at the height difference, Satan's body was much smaller than he was used to. “For once the leech has a point, maybe it’s because he’s residing in my brain today who knows?” he smirked. “All of you stop messing about, in fact you may all leave until we’ve figured this out.”

“I thought you wanted to hold a meeting with everyone, Lucifer?” Beel said, his amethyst eyes darting back and forth from the screen to Satan's face. “Oh come on Asmo, that’s not fair I wasn’t paying attention!”  
  
“Hehe that’s what you get for looking away~” the salmon eyed brother laughed and watched Beels avatar fall to last place. 

Mammon cheered upon seeing his cheating ways had led him to 1st place but then realization struck him upon seeing his otaku brother return from the bathroom, he paused the game instantly causing the other two to groan and made a fake sniffing action. “Oi Levi you were in there awhile!...Ya know it’s not very polite to drop a demonic dookie in someone elses b-”

_DUDE?! WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU?!_

Levi went as white as a sheet at the accusation, his mouth hung open in horror as he glanced over to Em shaking his head. “N-no I didn’t Em, I swear!” The other brothers besides Lucifer who just glared at him, all threw accusatory glances at the traumatised otaku.

The doe eyed girl just looked at him bemused, pressing her lips together to hide a smile.

“MAMMOOOONN!” **Lucifer** roared and lunged for his brother with his fist, he smacked the filthy demon in the chest but it barely phased him. Everyone but Asmodeus shut their eyes in anticipation for a Mammon shaped hole in the wall or a delayed knockback effect, but nothing came.

Mammon flinched and scrunched his eyes up expecting the blast of power to send him smacking against the wall at the very least.“D’aaaah w-wait...huh?” He peeled his eyes open slowly after feeling nothing but a light tap on his torso. “Hey what's goin' on? Seriously I know it's lucifer in there but now that he's in Satan's body, that totally didn't have the same impact! It didn't even hurt.” He turned to face his older brother's body. “Satan you try!”

“Huh that is strange, earlier Satan tried pushing me and nothing happened…” Levi scratched his chin pondering for an explanation to the power dynamic; more than grateful for the change in topic.

“Does this mean I outrank Lucifer now? AHAHAH! The Great Mammon is the most powerful of all now? No-one is left to stand in my way?! Pffft, I ain’t afraid o’ no Lucifer!” he said in a smug tone.

Asmodeus sneered holding his hands up.“Umm you DO realize it’s only a matter of time before they return to their old bodies, right? Did you consider that before saying what you just did..”

“W-well..”

“Hmph, you really are a moron, or a masochist.” The coffee haired brother clapped his hands. “Ah maybe a bit of both!~”  
  
Beel clicked his tongue, his eyes never wavering from Bario kart; he had learned his lesson after Asmodeus snuck up on him earlier. “Maybe the powers were a little slow on the uptake and that’s why they both fainted?” he said nonchalantly.

Everyone stared at the back of his head wide-eyed, it wasn’t like Beel to use his head; he wasn’t stupid of course but it was rare that he offered any insight to things that weren’t related to food; that everyone but Levi thought of.

 **Satan** put his hand on his chest “That...that actually makes sense...well done Beel.” he said in a slightly patronizing tone.

“I probably wouldn't ask Satan to hit you then Mammon, I don't want to have to redecorate my room again.." Em laughed nervously, cringing as she remembered trying to salvage her posters when Beel had lost his temper.

“You never know Em, you could even end up in someone else's room this time.” A wide grin spread across Asmodeus’ face. “Maybe even Levi’s~” he sang happily whilst reading Levi’s expression.

She turned scarlet red at the thought of sleeping in the same room as her newly discovered love interest. 

Levi was however the first one to respond, also incredibly flustered at the prospect of sharing a room. “D-don’t be silly Asmo! I-if she ended up in anyone's room i-it wouldn’t b-be mine.” he winced at the intensity of his nervous stuttering.

_Calm down jeez...it’s just Asmo teasing you._

_Lucifer would NEVER allow it._

“ANYWAY, are you all uhh going to be staying here tonight? it's a little cramped…” Em trailed across each of the demon brothers, Beel was built like a tank so took up quite a bit of space on her beanbag, Lucifer, Mammon and Satan were all rather tall and dwarfed most of her belongings; Asmodeus kept trying to snoop in her panties and bra drawer, insisting for her to try on all sorts of clothes for everyone. And as for Levi, well normally she wouldn’t mind but he hadn’t been in her room since before she came to realize her feelings for him; so the fact he was here now flustered her even more than before and Asmodeus wasn’t making life easier for either of them.

 **Lucifer** narrowed his eyes at everyone, Levi in particular. “She’s right. All of you out, come on!” He ushered them all to the door but **Satan** coughed. 

“Uhhh forgive me _dearest_ brother but where exactly would you go? Cerberus would bite your-well my head off and I don’t exactly want your greasy fingers anywhere near my books; the oils could damage the pages.” **Satan** held out his hands and examined them with a grimace, he’d have to scrub Lucifer's fingers as best he could whilst he was trapped in his body.

“Well I’m not going anywhere, besides this could be a fun night for whoever does stay~” Asmodeus winked seductively at the raven haired girl.

“What do you mean Asmo? Are we playing more of this game?” The glutton smiled, he had really enjoyed the racing game; especially the levels where the landscape resembled candy even his kart looked a lot like a hamburger.

“No, he’s being gross again. Em ignore him.” Levi snapped his head around and gave the playful demon a warning glare, his amber eyes piercing into Asmodeus’ soul if he had one.

Asmodeus stretched and yawned, placing the Zwitch controller down. “Em do you mind if I get a quick bath? You’re welcome to join me for a bit of peace but well..I can't promise to be quiet~”

“Absolutely not.” Levi looked horrified at the thought and Em just stayed silent, praying Asmo was just teasing.

“Pff this isn’t your room Levi, oh could it be maybe you want to take my place and take a bath together with Em~” Asmo teased, incredibly amused by the now scarlet complexion of his pale brother and Ems usual porcelain skin. He had promised himself he’d ramp up the innuendos for the two of them, the more the better if it meant speeding up the process.

_Don't make me imagine it when Sa-Lucifer is staring at me!_

“Oh! Speakin’ of baths and bathrooms! W-” The silver haired brother started.

_You’re definitely not taking a bath with her!_

“ **NO ONE is taking a bath with Em,** do I make myself clear?” **Lucifer** bellowed, his voice cracking slightly due to the strain of his brother's higher vocal range. Em just stared at the floor, it seemed like she was always another reason the brother fought these days and there was no use trying to voice her own opinion; she also made a mental note to scold Asmo for the teasing when they were next alone.

Mammon winced at the raised tone, to him Lucifer had managed to make himself sound just as intimidating with Satan's voice..“W-well actually I was gonna ask...what are you and Satan gonna do when one of yas needs to uhhh...take a leak or-” he gestured towards the bathroom squeaking his words in fear.

“Mammon just because I can’t hit you right NOW doesn’t mean I won’t have my revenge when I’m back in my own body.” **Lucifer** cracked his knuckles and smirked, glancing up at **Satan**. “Or you could make yourself useful for once seeing as you have my powers?”

“Actually our brother has a point...I think we need to lay a few ground rules” **Satan** mentally breathed a sigh of relief, this was the angle he’d been waiting for since regaining consciousness; now he just had to go about it in a way that didn’t arouse suspicion.

 **Lucifer** crossed his arms. “Yes, you may be right….for once.” he chuckled. “What sort of ground rules?”

“I think we should both have to be present before entering each other's rooms, I like my privacy and I’m already aware you consider your own personal space to be more precious than the rest of us.” **Satan** sneered, not particularly caring if Lucifer caught on to the low dig at him.

“Very well, then we must also not draw attention to ourselves around the academy.”

“Of course you’d care about keeping up appearances when it’s not even _your_ appearance anymore." The rebel brother shrugged and rolled his eyes, now was his only chance. “Ah that reminds me, we should both take our own phones back. Diavolo has been texting you nonstop actually..and it’s rather annoying because I don’t know your passcode.” 

**Lucifer** snatched the DDD from his own hand, which felt very odd. “He has? Tsk, it’s probably due to you not showing up earlier. Thankfully he only wanted you to proofread a few things but he’s probably asked Barbatos for his help instead now. I'll just message him to say you were occupied.” In return he passed Satan's phone to him, who had to hide his relief as he slipped the lime green device into his pocket.

Levi, Beel and Mammon all instantly relaxed; they would keep their heads for another day.

* * *

A few hours passed and things were starting to get a little awkward. Asmodeus refused to leave, Beel was still enjoying Bario Kart, Mammon had fallen asleep slumped over on the beanbag and Levi and Em had gotten a little too comfortable lying on the bed together on Levi’s phone.

_This is great, me and Em._

_And..._

Levi shifted his gaze to the left of him. Just as Em had started to lean on his shoulder from exhaustion, **Lucifer** had taken action against the lovey display and set up camp right in the middle of them. His expression was almost smug as he stretched Satan's body to lie flat as a barrier between the couple feigning interest in the Devil Tube videos they were watching.

 **Satan** unfortunately couldn’t help interfere with his brother's petty scheme, he was knee deep in one of Ems tragic romances that she’d forgotten to pass back to him and he found himself oddly engrossed. He would sometimes gasp and mumble to himself causing everyone in the room to snap their heads around at him, to which he’d gesture for them all to go back to whatever they were doing.

Levi tried to hold back a yawn but it had been a very stressful evening for him, **Lucifer** leapt at him before it had even left his throat. 

“Well it’s getting late Leviathan, you should probably head back to your own room now.” he said slowly to get the point across. “Infact all of you need to leave, Em needs some rest.”

The violet haired demon scowled, his brother really did have to rain on everyone's parade. Unable to come up with a good excuse for staying he reluctantly put his DDD back in his pocket and stood up, walking as slowly as he possibly could to the door. 

“O-oh well..I wouldn’t mind if L-everyone stayed; I mean Mammon is already asleep…a-and no-ones eaten!” her eyes widened in horror at the realization she hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast, her stomach gurgled on cue and Beel tore his head away from the game.

“Say no more Em I’ve got Hells Kitchen on speed dial, they do deliveries after 8pm!” He said excitedly, scrambling for his phone.

 **Lucifer** sighed in defeat. “I suppose ordering out wouldn’t be the worst thing seeing as the kitchen demons have already gone home...but everyone needs to leave as soon as they're finished. And Satan, first thing in the morning we must sort this little problem out; I don’t want Lord Diavolo being troubled by our insolence.”

“Does that mean I can order?!” Beel beamed, his finger trembling over the dial button from the lack of calories consumed.

“Well we all need to eat…” **Lucifer** said rolling his eyes, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of hunger too, perhaps it was another side effect from the curse.

“Ooooh can I have some cake? I fancy something sweet tonight~ What about you Em?” Asmodeus had also been engrossed in some of Ems reading material; she’d brought a few fashion magazines from the human realm and he found himself fascinated with all of the different trends depending on seasons and celebrities trends.

“I think I’m going to get the meat platter, anyone care to share? I mean if anything’s left haha!” she laughed whilst her stomach growled.

“Actually I wouldn’t mind getting in on that with you Em, i-if you don’t mind” Levi put his hand up bashfully, an assortment of meats did sound appetizing right now and knowing Ems appetite she’d make sure to order plenty to spare.

 **Satan** slipped a bookmark into the tragic novel and cleared his throat. “It’s settled then!” a mischievous grin appeared on his face. “I suppose it’s my? Treat tonight.” he pulled out Lucifer's credit card and started waving it around.

“It wasn’t enough to leech off my own emotions, you have to leech off me financially?” the oldest brother spat out in a harsh tone. 

_Ugh not this again.._

“Guys can you argue after we’ve ordered? Look at Em and Beel…” Levi slapped his hand on his head and pinched his nose. The argumentative siblings glanced over and saw Em was trembling with hunger and their glutton brother looked like he was going to go on a cannibalistic rampage if he didn’t get any sustenance soon.

“Tsk fine. Tonight is on me.” **Lucifer** swiped his card from **Satan** and handed it to Beel who snatched it with much gusto.

“Heehee thanks bro!” 

It didn’t take long for the feast to arrive, Beel had made sure to name drop himself and his brothers over the phone to the kitchen demons in the restaurant. Em and Levi wolfed down their platter of ribs, chicken legs and other assorted foods. Asmodeus made short work of his meal and made some questionable sound effects whilst tucking into his dessert.

“Asmodeus if you continue to moan like that I will kick you out and you can sleep in Cerberus’ dog house tonight like the animal you are.” **Lucifer** threatened.

“I’m sorry but this cake is mmmmmmmmf, it’s amazing~” he held up a forkful. “Em let me feed you some~” 

Asmodeus leant into the human girl, gesturing for her to open her mouth. “Say aahhhhh~”

_Oh no you don't!_

Levi threw himself in front of it and stole the bite, frowning at the thought of an indirect kiss with Asmodeus of all demons, the frown became a face of surprise and then enjoyment as he chewed. “Mmm you know that’s actually not bad..”

_This cake is good but I really hope that didn’t count as my first kiss…_

_If it does then I’m not sure I want to be immortal anymore._

“Well Em would have known if you hadn’t stolen it! That was the last piece too!” the lustful demon smirked. “Well she could always get a taste in another way~” he winked over at her and licked his lips suggestively.  
  
Em turned the same colour as the strawberry on Asmodeus’ plate, the indirect suggestion to kiss Levi had just brought memories of the previous evening with the pocky incident rushing back to her.

"S-sorry, I couldn't help myself. You were waving it around and I just had to try it!" Levi lied, he hadn't really thought about his actions and now Lucifer was giving him death glares and even Em seemed to be a little concerned.

“Asmodeus. This is your last warning.” **Lucifer** said, calmly.

“Ugh Luci can’t you liven up for just one night? I mean you’re not even in your own body surely being inside someone else must excite you just a tiny bit?~”

Everyone groaned at the innuendo and **Lucifer** hung his head in disappointment. “Right that’s it, everyone out. Now. No excuses.”

“Eh? But I ain’t even fi-” Mammon complained but was cut off. The others had woken him up shortly after their food arrived so he was a little behind, luckily Em knew he would want ramen noodles and ordered for him.

“I said **NO EXCUSES**.” He stood up feeling a little dizzy and pointed towards the door. “We will see you all bright and early tomorrow.”

The brothers all pouted as they bid Em, Satan and Lucifer good night, Beel was beside himself at having to leave a box of onion rings behind; they never tasted the same the next day or when he reheated them in the microwave. 

And Levi still hadn’t gotten a chance to really talk to Em with everyone making life difficult for him, especially about their date not date later that week. “Well I-I’ll see you tomorrow.” he lowered his voice. “If you get fed up, bored or those two start causing trouble just message me, okay?” 

“O-okay” she smiled at him, a little regretful she hadn’t been able to talk to him freely today; as soon as Satan and Lucifer fell asleep she would message him. “I’ll see you in the morning, Levi. Have a good night” the two stared at each other for far too long to be considered normal, before Beel smirked and grabbed Levi by the arm.

“Come on bro! I need to ask you about that racing game!” He pulled his otaku brother down the corridor.

As Levi was dragged away Em boldly grabbed Asmodeus by the wrist and whispered. _“Asmo tonight was a little much..you said you’d take it easy on me from now on. And you were relentless with poor Levi.”_

 _“Ugh I’m sorry, but you have to admit you like seeing Levi riled up like that ~”_ he giggled quietly so not to disturb the remaining brothers. “ _I think he likes you~”_

 _“D-don’t be silly! That would...be too good to be true.”_ Em winced. Though she had to admit that Levi stealing the cake was a little questionable and she felt a tiny glimmer of hope. “ _Anyway I’d better get back in there before someone ends up hurt or throws something.”_

Asmodeus sighed, he’d practically told the girl how Levi felt and showed him on multiple occasions his jealousy tonight but it looked like her low self esteem was getting the better of her. “ _Would it? So what are your plans for the rest of the night, you can’t be serious about babysitting those two for the entire evening…”_

“ _Well I’ll probably message Levi a bit before I go to sleep, and then I really want to start one of those novels; Satan..actually cornered me about Levi today; so he knows my feelings. H-he even got me a date with him.”_ she blushed and grinned widely. “ _I-I’ll tell you the details tomorrow, oh but thank you for hiding the bag earlier. I really appreciate that.”_

 _“No problem Em, I’m not just a pretty face~ but you’d better tell me ALL of the juicy details tomorrow, now go knock Lucifer out so you can flirt with Levi all night~”_ He pulled Em into an embrace and tore himself away after a few seconds walking down the corridor.

Em waved goodbye and turned back into the room, Satan and Lucifer were arguing about how their daily routines had been completely toppled and her bedroom looked like a twister had hit it, it was going to be a very long night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I went full throttle comedy and banter between the brothers this chapter, it's been awhile since I had a scene with EVERYONE together.
> 
> My apologies for the wait!


	48. Recommendation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A lot happens: Levi and Em have an interesting talk and Asmodeus has some news...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Minor spoilers for Mystic Messenger (I highly recommend you play that game too but be warned if you like sleep)

Levi threw himself down in his bedtub after a quick shower. It didn’t take long before his DDD started buzzing. He chuckled to himself, knowing exactly who was texting him and even though he’d just spent all evening in her company, he couldn’t resist.

Em: Ugh Levi T_T

Leviathan: What’s up? :(

Leviathan: Are Satan and Lucifer still arguing?

Em: No it’s not them

Em: Promise you won’t laugh?

Leviathan: I promise..?

Em: I want to cry, 808 is being super distant and said we can’t even be friends T_T

Em: I paid REAL money to unlock his route before doing anyone elses, and this is what I get in return ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Leviathan: LOL ROFLMAO

Em: You promised you wouldn’t laugh!

Leviathan: I’m sorry, it’s just kind of funny.

Leviathan: It sounds like you got the tsundere! Congrats ~(˘▾˘~)

Em: Ugh...well they shouldn’t falsely advertise him like that!

Leviathan: Hey if you’re actually getting upset by him the developers have done a really good job.

Leviathan: I’ll stop laughing now.

Leviathan: Are you okay? :(

Em: I’m fine... I just don’t get why tsunderes have to be like this!

Em: I give and I give and what do I get? “Don’t come close to me, stay away!” >:(

Em: You know what’s worse? He lured me in by being super nice and funny and cute and then AS SOON as he starts to feel something for me (I mean he made me a robot for crying out loud and keeps looking at me through the security cam..) it’s all “hurr durr get lost you don’t understand me, you’re too good for me.”

Em: If I’d KNOWN the suffering I’d be put through I would’ve gone for Yuusong T_T

Em: You okay? You’ve gone all quiet 

Em: I didn’t mean to rant so much…

Leviathan: Sorry I’m fine! I was just letting you vent

_This guy sounds like me a few months ago I mean apart from the security cam and the robot.._

_Ugh why did I have to act like that. I wasted what could have been an awesome two weeks getting to know her more._

Leviathan: Yuusong? 

Leviathan: security cam o.O what sort of game is this?!

Em: LOL dw 808’s a hacker, it’s a long story!

Em: And sorry, Yuusong is a cute blonde guy.

Em: A lot like you actually!

_D-did she just call me cute? Because I’m not blonde.._

Leviathan:..oh thanks ^^’’

Em: He’s ADDICTED to games hah

_Oh shit._

Leviathan: OH that’s what you meant! 

_Of course that’s what she meant, you idiot!_

Leviathan: LEMME

Leviathan: JUST

Leviathan: DO

Leviathan: THIS

Leviathan: HA

Leviathan: HA

Leviathan: HA

Leviathan: :)

Em: What? why are you spamming D:

Em: I can scroll up anytime you know!

Levi threw his hands over his face, burning crimson at the misunderstanding; refusing to look at the screen at her response. But curiosity got the better of him and he peeked, plus he couldn’t go without looking all night.

_Please don’t..._

Em: Oh.

Em: Well you’re cute too!

Em: AHEM

Em: NOW

Em: LET’S 

Em: TALK

Em: ABOUT 

Em: SOMETHING

Em: ELSE

Em: :)

Leviathan: *scrolls up*

Leviathan :)

Em: DON’T!

_Huh?!_

_Em, what are you thinking? First the working out remark and now this..._

Leviathan: LOL ty ^^; soareyou 

He giggled, wishing he had the ability to summon her as well.

Leviathan: ANYWAY what do you want to talk about?

Em: Anything! Honestly after the stress of today you could explain all of the relationships of School Days in great detail and I’d be grateful…

Leviathan: LOOOL OMG Em I wouldn’t subject you to that horror

Leviathan: I may be a demon but I’m not _that_ evil ^^

Em: Hah yeah you’re right ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Leviathan: But if you want a _proper_ dating otome game I can recommend you some? Hah that makes me sound so pathetic

Em: Why would that make you pathetic >:( ?

Leviathan: Well uhh I’m a guy?

Em: And? I don’t see any issue :)

Em: Plus you’re single right?

Leviathan: No? Didn’t I tell you? I’m a harem king

Leviathan: a demoness on each arm, girlfriends for every day of the week ;)

Leviathan: I’m all booked up now though, we go on a rota basis <3

Em: PFFFT ROFLMAOOOOO you wish

Em: But yeah I’ll take some recommendations, any with ACTUAL dating in them LOL

Leviathan: Oh actually one just came out this week! I’ve not played it but apparently it’s pretty unique: Dogi Maji Memorium

Em: How is it unique? :o

Leviathan: You know I’m not sure? No one has shown any gameplay on readdit either which is strange, but I’m sure it’s fine!

Em: Hmmm how mysterious ( ಠ ͜ʖರೃ)

Leviathan: It is ( ಠ ͜ʖರೃ) we should look into it together

Em: I might treat myself to it for my birthday >->

Leviathan: Oh good idea! But if you’re low on grimm I don’t mind buying it for you

Em: NO! You’ve bought me so much T_T seriously don’t waste your grimm on me

Leviathan: It’s not a waste >:( I really hope you’re not talking about that time I was being an idiot.

Em: Baaaaaaaaaka* :D

Leviathan: T_T

Em: Honestly I’d forgotten about it, well except from when you came to see me at the academy that had me SHOOK for days lol

_Is it REALLY that shocking for me to leave the house? Ugh, I need to show her I can be confident tomorrow...if she doesn’t get her common sense back and cancel on me._

Em: “Thank you for your Akuzon order, your item will be delivered on Saturday between 8am and 9pm” ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Em: I’m so excited to play an otome with actual romance T_T 

Em: But I am NOT going after the tsundere if there is one, my heart can’t handle any more pain.

Leviathan: Saturday? :( they must have no stock left, normally things come the next day here...

Em: LOL well aren’t you privileged! (¬‿¬)

Em: In England we were lucky to get things by the estimation…

Em: Human realm shipping sucked.

Leviathan: LOL that’s why it’s better here ^^

Leviathan: Hey, Can I ask you a question?

Em: Sure :)

_I wanted to ask about friday but..._

Leviathan: Do you maybe like someone :o

Em: WHAT?!

Em: NO! NO THERE ISN’T ANY ONE LOL THAT'S RANDOM

Em: unless 808 counts! \ (•◡•) /

Levi scratched his head at the response, it was awfully defensive for someone who didn’t have any romantic interest in someone.

Em: why are you asking me that LOL

Leviathan: Well it’s just that you’ve been playing otome games all of a sudden and Asmo said you were talking about dating, plus those books.

Leviathan: unless...they’re not porn or something are they? >_>

Leviathan: I mean I’m not judging if they are

Leviathan: Just don’t let Asmo know lol

Leviathan: He’d be on you quicker than a hentai protagonist

Em: ROFLMAO no of course they’re not! 

Em: OMG I nearly woke up Lucifer from laughing 

Em: They’re just mushy fairytales

Leviathan: Oh? well why the secrecy lol I already know you’re into stuff like that ^^

Em: I was just embarrassed and didn’t want you to tease me for reading things like that at my age (ᵔᴥᵔ)

Em: But no seriously I don’t like anyone LOL

Em: AND NO NOT SOLOMON BEFORE YOU GO THERE (╯°□°）╯︵ ┻━┻

Em: you are FORBIDDEN to mention the S word whenever we talk about this subject. That is a pact demand!

Leviathan: LOL they don’t work over messages, silly ;) 

_That’s more than fine with me though!_

_Yeah it’s definitely not Solomon, she looked down right repulsed after that kiss._

Em: Do you?

Leviathan: Do I what? Have a crush on Solomon¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Leviathan: I mean he’s a good looking guy but he’s not really my type

Leviathan: I’m not into snowmen, snowwomen on the other hand? ;)

Em: LOL OMG 

Em: but no (¬‿¬)

Em: Serious answers only: Do you have a crush on anyone?

_Yes._

_YOU!_

_It would be humiliating to tell you that over a text though._

Leviathan: oh lol

Leviathan: I mean I don’t leave my room so there’s no way I’d even meet someone ^^

Leviathan: And I don’t know any girls apart from you

Leviathan: Ah except Ruri-chan of course LOL

Leviathan: So maybe I do? ( ͡ᵔ ͜ʖ ͡ᵔ )

Em: Ruri chan doesn’t count…

Em: I just said SERIOUS answers >:|

_That was a serious answer..._

Em: but I suppose that makes sense…

Em: ⚆ _ ⚆

Em: Anyway I’ll let you get some sleep, we’ve been talking awhile 

Em: Good night Levi! ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Em has left the chatroom.

He was halfway through a reply before her name went dark and she logged off, Levi ruffled his hair more confused than ever.

_Maybe I should've told her I have a crush on someone?_

_I mean it's obvious that she likes someone, she just doesn’t want to tell me.._

_I’d say it was me after the cute remark but that would be way too good to be true._

_Sh_ _e was probably just being polite like when she said I was the most attractive._

_I don’t buy the fairytale thing either, I've shown her things that are more embarrassing than that._

He threw his head back on his pillow and sighed in frustration, maybe Satan would give him insight. Levi chuckled to himself, feeling a little silly for getting so wound up not knowing what was probably something really simple. How quickly his life had changed in just four months.

Leviathan: Yo are you still up?

Satan: I was just about to go to close my eyes, Lucifer is asleep and Em just turned in for the night. What’s up?

Leviathan: Wait I thought you had facial recognition o.O how are you online

Satan: I took a photo of Lucifer whilst he was asleep? I mean it is MY face.

Leviathan: LOL that must have felt weird

Leviathan: Anyway, I was just wondering how you were doing and uhh is our little problem taken care of?

Satan: Not as weird as looking at my reflection and seeing my #1 enemy I assure you. 

Satan: Oh that. I deleted the entire history for that chat JUST INCASE.

Satan: I’ll probably delete anything relating to it after what happened today. 

Satan: Actually I wanted to ask you something too, just before I deleted the messages on the group chat I noticed YOU of all demons defending Solomon all of a sudden

Satan: What happened? Tell me and maybe I’ll answer one of your questions, it’s obvious you didn’t message me to ask how I was doing

His fingers hovered over the touchscreen hesitantly, he knew Satan would be furious with him for what he did but expected no less from his brother for being suspicious about his sudden whiplash in his perception of the shifty sorcerer.

Leviathan: Okay but promise you won’t get mad..?

Satan: It depends on what you did.

Satan: I’m guessing you went behind my back. :)

Leviathan: I may have disguised myself with my cosplay stuff and sat in on Em and Solomon in the café yesterday.

Leviathan: I overheard them talking about stuff and apparently Solomon hasn’t had the best upbringing, he also seemed to really care about Em as much as I hate to admit it.

_He’s gonna get mad...I can feel it._

Leviathan: He kissed her too

Leviathan: Thankfully just on the cheek 

Leviathan: or ( -_･) ︻デ═一 - - (╯°□°)╯

Leviathan: (×_×;)

Leviathan: LOL jk but I swear I was careful! No-one recognized me either!

Leviathan: are you mad...?

_Maybe the emotes were a bit much?_

Leviathan: @Satan say something

Satan: Why?

Leviathan: Why what?

Satan: Levi...

Satan: Forget it. I’m going to sleep.

Satan has gone offline.

_Ugh I’m sorry!_

_I didn’t even get to ask him anything…_

“Well tomorrow’s gonna be fun..” he mumbled before turning in for the night, cringing about his actions. He was starting to regret his overprotective nature, it had caused him to doubt his intentions just as Satan had said a few days ago and now he couldn’t decide whether Solomon really was up to something or he was just a normal man who held grudges too easily.

* * *

The next morning was indeed eventful, Levi woke up to a barrage of texts from the others apart from Em, stating he was late for breakfast and they all needed to talk about the current situation with Satan and Lucifer. Apparently they’d almost destroyed Ems bedroom from arguing about little things, and Levi couldn’t help but feel he was to blame for Satan's bad mood.

_Just one normal day that is ALL I ask for._

_Well that and for Em to feel the same way about me._

He ambled towards his closet and picked out a dark blue shirt and some baggy black jogging pants, today was not a day he looked forward to so he put little effort in his appearance. After washing his face and combing his bangs, Levi made his way hurriedly down to meet everyone.

As he approached the dining hall he could already hear discord echoing down the corridors, Levi sighed in irritation and stepped through the door frame.

“Must you be so petty? Honestly! Just because you’re in my body doesn’t mean you can fill it with trash!” **Lucifer** rubbed his temple and sighed. Beel and Em grimaced as **Satan** sat there smiling warmly at everyone whilst piling his plate high with pancakes. “If you dare let that filth touch my stomach you are in TROUBLE brother!” 

It was no good, Lucifer had lost all of his threatening aura and all he could do was pout and watch as **Satan** took advantage of his new position.

“Pass me the syrup Beel, and I think I’ll have chocolate sauce as well…” He reached for the bottle of chocolate and squirted it all over his plate, covering every inch. “Ah it just needs one more thing…” the petty demon looked over towards the kitchen demons. “May I have a small bowl of sugar? Just sugar, nothing else thank you.”

The kitchen demons groaned as they brought out a small serving bowl filled to the brim with sugar, and watched feeling nauseous as he tipped the entire thing on top of the stack of food. Beel reluctantly obeyed his brother's command, wincing as **Lucifer** shot him a cold glare, even Asmodeus and Mammon weren’t laughing this morning as Satan began to tuck in, syrup threatening to drip down the pristine black military jacket.

Levi crept over to the buffet table and gestured towards his white haired brother.

“Mammon what the hell is going on?” he asked, quietly.

“Ugh I dunno honestly. Em said Satan’s been in a terrible mood this mornin’. They were both arguing over the smallest things last night but…” Mammon chewed his lip as he glanced towards his brothers. “Satan’s definitely pissed about somethin’ else, he’s just takin’ it out on Lucifer.”

Levi grimaced, it was definitely due to his little confession the previous night.

Suddenly there was a low throat clearing sound coming from the entrance to the hall. “Good morning everyone, I’m sorry to drop by unannounced. I just thought it was a bit odd that Lucifer hadn’t come to see me before breakfast..” The Demon Prince pouted and looked at the coal haired sibling quizzically as he sat there hidden behind the skyscraper of calories. “Well it’s no wonder you never showed hahah do you need help finishing that?” he eyed the chocolate sauce hungrily. “I’ve already eaten, but that looks delicious.”

 **Lucifer** glared at Satan and mouthed. “Don’t you dare..I told you don’t draw attention.”

_Oh no, I see that evil glint in your eye Satan...but maybe that’s just natural for Lucifer's face._

**Satan** however smirked in response and patted the empty chair next to him. “Hello hello hello Diavolo I'm sooo happy to see you! you're all I ever think about honey, I dreamed about you last night and it was such a sweet dream that I thought I’d need something sweeter.” Everyone looked at him in amazement, amusement and horror hoping he’d stop there but he kept on rambling. “Of course you can join me, but only if you feed me..maybe with your mouth?” he blew a kiss to the Demon Prince.

Everyone but Diavolo and Lucifer threw their hands over their mouths to stop themselves from bursting into laughter, Mammon and Levi were barely containing themselves and Em had walked off towards the kitchen to distract herself.

The Demon Prince remained straight faced and sat himself down next to who he imagined to be Lucifer as he accepted a spare plate from one of the kitchen staff. The oldest brother couldn’t take anymore and went to join Em; mortified with his brother's childish behaviour.

 **Satan** watched as **Lucifer** slunk off towards the human girl and relished in his misery, he turned to face Diavolo and pouted. “Diavolo is it just me or do you look tense? Want me to give you a nice shoulder massage? How about your arms?” he boldly stroked the Demon prince's arm. “Maybe your legs too? if you're feeling tired, you just let me know okay?”

“Wow S-Luci you’re very bold this morning~” The lustful demon was loving the entertainment with breakfast today, he’d just sat back and watched happily basking in Lucifers discomfort, but it was too good to not play along. Beel sucked his cheek and tried to not pay attention to anything but his breakfast, knowing that Lucifer was keeping tabs on all of them and how they reacted. If you laughed you were in a world of pain when he got his body back.  
  
The oldest brother leant in towards Em and whispered in her ear with a worried expression on his face.. _“I don’t actually sound like that do I?”_

Em said nothing and became very flustered, unable to really answer that.

Levi strolled over to join them and chimed in. “ _lol sometimes you do yeah. It’s really embarrassing. But hey I ship it.”_ He gave his brother a supportive thumbs up and then turned to the human girl and grinned. “ _Good morning, hope these two didn’t drive you too crazy.”_

 _“Good morning Levi!”_ she responded in a cheery manner, hoping he’d forgotten all about their conversation last night and how quickly she’d logged off. “ _Hah well, they weren’t too bad.”_ Em lied as she saw the expression on Lucifer's face change to one of malicious intent if he heard anyone else mention him in a bad light.

 _“I didn’t ask your opinion Leviathan.”_ he spat, the three of them were just about to part ways and attempt to grab some breakfast without busting a gut or wanting to throttle someone but then Diavolo spoke as he cut into his half of the sugar coated food.

“I don't feel tense at all, or tired for that matter! So...Satan..what are you doing in Lucifer's body?” The Demon Prince smiled warmly, he couldn’t help but have been amused as he listened to the introvert trying to ruin his brother's reputation by hitting on him. “At the very least I hope you’re going to brush his teeth after this.” he chuckled.

Everyone spun their heads around and stared at the golden eyed royal in shock, surprise and amazement he’d been able to tell, but then Levi soaked it in; Satan hadn’t exactly been subtle with his personality change.

“Woah whaaaaa how can ya tell?!” Mammon hung his mouth open and a few chunks of food dropped onto the table.

 **Lucifer** marched over to the table and took his seat back, sitting next to Asmodeus. “Wait you can tell it’s not me?!” his verdant eyes bulged out of their sockets.

Diavolo took a few bites of his pancake, held up his finger, gesturing for them to wait and then calmly dabbed his mouth with a napkin. “ Of course I can tell, we’ve known each other a long time after all!”. A playful smirk graced his lips and he winked. “If you _were_ going to hit on me, you’d do it in private.” 

**Satan** threw his cutlery down and frowned. “Damn it!” he kicked himself mentally for underestimating the Demon Prince and Lucifer's bond.

“So...let’s hear it. How exactly did you two end up in this bizarre predicament?” Diavolo glanced over at Em who had a few scrapes on her arms and one on her cheek. “To be honest I was wondering why Em looked so beaten up… but then you’re quite clumsy so I didn’t question it for long.” he smiled at her innocently.

Em grimaced, feeling a little embarrassed at that comment. It was true she was clumsy but it’s not like she’d thrown herself into the bookcase this time; that had been the curses doing.

They all proceeded to catch Diavolo up on recent events and he just sat quietly and listened to their story as he finished his meal. After some time he scooted his chair out and stood up, holding his stomach regretfully; perhaps the syrup had been a little much for him. “Ahhh I see, so you touched a forbidden book that causes spirits to switch bodies..” he belched, trying to contain it with etiquette.

_You don’t really seem phased by that but alright, I guess he’s been around long enough to have seen all kinds of stuff._

**Lucifer** held his hand to his chest, still in shock. “Never did I think you'd see through the act so quickly, I underestimated you...but I am grateful that you know I would never say those things.” He could finally relax a little now that Diavolo had seen through his siblings childish performance.

“it's good that the effect will wear off in a few days, and you'll go back to your own bodies. However... the speech Lucifer.” He turned to face the blonde form. “Is everything going to be okay with that?”

“Y-yes, of course…” **Lucifer** bit his lip, he didn’t want to lie to the Demon Prince but there was no way in Hell he was letting Satan deliver the speech for him, especially not after his attitude towards the curse.

The royal demon fixed his golden eyes on his friend for a few seconds, and then chuckled innocently. “Well if you don’t think it's possible just let me know and I’ll rearrange some things and deliver it myself, okay?

“You’d do that for me?” Lucifer was downright shocked, and a little flattered. “Diavolo you’re far too kind. No, I will see to it that speech is delivered, you have enough on your plate as it is.” 

“Well not anymore he just ate it all LOL” Levi remarked, making Em and Mammon giggle. **Lucifer** smiled deceptively and widened his eyes at his otaku brother menacingly.

Diavolo walked back towards the door but kept his head turned to everyone. “Right well I’d better go and see to my tasks, ah Asmodeus could I have a quick word?” He gestured to the flirty brother who almost fell off his chair, it wasn’t often the royal prince requested his company but he had a feeling he knew what it was about.

“O-of course Lord Diavolo! Let me just finish this juice and I’ll be right there~” Asmodeus grabbed his glass and threw it back, chugging the drink in an instant, he rose to his feet and smiled over at Em. “I’ll meet you in the Academy later~” and he walked off with the prince in tow.

Everyone was very shocked, including Lucifer, what in Devildom would Diavolo want with Asmodeus of all demons?

“Anyone else think that was a bit weird?” Beel furrowed his brow, pausing from inhaling his own stack of pancakes.

“A little...maybe it’s about the damages from Diavolo’s party?” Levi shrugged. 

Em shook her head and stepped in to defend her friend. “No, Diavolo excused him for that because it was mostly the succubi’s fault.” Although she had to admit she was curious too, she turned towards the blonde haired sibling. “Lucifer, do you have any idea? I-is he in trouble?”

“I don’t know what it’s about but I’m a little...perplexed Diavolo hasn’t spoken to me about it.” he pouted. “I thought he told me everything..” and rolled his eyes, feeling a little jealous and neglected.

“Well, we should be gettin’ to class, come on Em. I’m..I’m sure it’s nothin’ to worry about!” Mammon scratched his head and stretched lazily; they had double alchemy that morning and he wasn’t looking forward to explaining calculations again with the human girl who preferred less practical tasks.

_Already?_

Levi frowned, he’d barely been able to say two words to her again with everything going on and with the mystery surrounding Asmodeus he was sure that it’d be another busy day for her. But she must have noticed his expression as she skittered over to him with a piece of toast hanging from her mouth.

 _“I’ll message you later, w-we still need to talk about tomorrow”_ She stretched up on her tiptoes and whispered in his ear, her breath tickling him and the scent of her made him float.; however Lucifer didn’t like the intimacy between them and burned a hole through Levi’s skull.

 _“O-oh sure! Have a good day..”_ he smiled back at her and watched as she was escorted off by Beel and Mammon who was also wanting to talk with him as he made a phone hand gesture whilst walking off.

He watched the brothers trickle out one by one and saw his chance as soon as **Satan** got out of his seat. "If it's alright with you dearest brother, I think I'm going to skip lessons today; it would be a bit tedious explaining this to everyone, including the teachers."

"Fine. you're excused." **Lucifer** spat and closed his newspaper, then turned to the purple haired brother. "Leviathan, shouldn't you get going?" 

"I am I was just waiting for **Satan**..." Levi glanced towards his younger brother."C-can we talk on the way back?"

Satan glared at his brother, he was still exceptionally angry with him for disobeying his request. "I have nothing to say to you, Levi. Lucifers right, get back to your room."

Lucifer raised an eyebrow, it sounded like his brothers had had a falling out but oh well nothing to concern himself with; it was most likely just Satan being petty or Levi got offended over something trivial again.

Levi winced as he watched his jet haired brother march angrily down the corridor back to his room, he tried keeping up with him to no avail and flinched upon the slamming of his book loving brothers room. 

* * *

Ems POV

Em had just barely scraped by in her latest Alchemy exam, thanks to Mammon's tutoring between classes and Solomon's recommendations. They were both in a different classroom than Asmodeus but he had texted her that he wanted to talk with her after class, preferably alone. He hadn’t been able to get a hold of her at lunch and decided it would be better for her to hear his news after the day had ended. Her heart raced with the uncertainty and serious tone he’d sent it in, getting time alone from Mammon would prove to be difficult as he latched onto her like a puppy, Beel would come in handy though.

Em: Beel can you take Mammon to Hells Kitchen?

Em: I have to talk with Asmo alone

Beelzebub: Oh sure! Are you both joining us after your talk?

Beelzebub: I’ve got my discount card ;)

Em: Actually that sounds great, we’ll see you soon!

Em: Oh and thank you for the favour! ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Beelzebub: yay :D and np!

_Okay time to go meet Asmodeus...he’s on the 3rd floor I think._

Em bid goodbye to Mammon who had just received the text from Beel promising Demonus his favourite type of wine if he got to Hell's Kitchen before him, so of course the white haired brother was out of there faster than you could say Devildom.

She crept up the flights of stairs as the demoness and demon students glared at her, Em may have not had any more run-ins with physical bullying after being pushed down the stairs in her first week. But it didn’t stop the lesser accepting students to give her condescending glances now and then.

_Just ignore them, Lucifer would have their heads if they touched you; all of the brothers promised you that much._

_Just keep calm, think of Levi…_

_He was so cute last night ugh! But what was that all about with the cake?_

She subconsciously squirmed a little as she leant against the wall, waiting for Asmodeus to finish class; Human History students occasionally finished a little later as it was a very in depth and ever changing class, expanding on everything from the dawn of men to current day events.

After a few minutes of getting lost in her thoughts the bell rang and the smaller framed demon came skipping happily out of the classroom. “Hey!...oooh I know who you’re thinking about~” he smirked as he read her expression, he didn't want to ruin her good mood; at least not here. “Anyway let’s take the scenic route before we get food~”.

_He seems to be in a good mood so I don’t think it’s bad news? Unless he’s just putting up a facade…_

Asmodeus eyed the small girl and frowned, but he couldn’t tell her here surrounded by so many prying eyes even though they wouldn’t dare lay a finger on the Avatar of Lust; if he was put in a certain situation he could be just as or even more terrifying than Lucifer.

_So it IS bad news?_

The two made small talk as they walked out of the large Academy building together and took a small detour through the side streets of the Devildom. The path ahead was narrow and the neat stone path turned into a cracked natural pebblestone as they drew further away from RAD. A lone bench stood in the halfway point and Asmodeus thought this was the perfect place to deliver the news.

Em couldn’t sit down quick enough, her mind had been going overboard during lessons; thinking all sorts of scenarios up from little things like Asmodeus and Diavolo were just making small talk to larger and impossible things like they were in a secret relationship or the Demon Prince was banishing the Avatar of Lust for acting on his desires all the time. 

“Okay so... do you remember when you asked me if it was possible for you to stay with us all? Well, on our trip I went and spoke with Diavolo at length about your...situation in the human realm. And he said he’s totally on board with it, I didn’t even really have to explain much to be honest it was like he already knew.” Upon seeing her perk up Asmodeus paused and grabbed her hand, her heart dropped, instantly knowing the outcome of their talk. 

“He went to speak to the elders about it and...I’m sorry Em, they instantly rejected the idea.” He stroked her arm supportively and the sudden reality hit her hard. She felt like the wind had been knocked out of her as he carried on speaking. “They said it’s no place for a human, that you don’t belong here and that even if your exchange year is a success, they couldn’t support the idea. Diavolo tried to persuade them but...their decision is final.”

Em stuttered, trying to find any bit of hope to cling onto; she was beside herself with denial at such a hard truth. “B-but he’s the demon prince..doesn’t he make the rules?”

Asmodeus sighed and averted his gaze, he couldn’t bear to look at her sorrowful expression; he was infuriated with the councils decision and had almost lost his temper when The Demon Prince broke the news so calmly. “He is but...these elders have been around since the creation of the Devildom itself back when Hades ruled, and they’re really close with the Demon King so technically they’re above Diavolo in that respect…”

“Ah..” was all she could reply with after that.

_Well..it was worth a shot._

“I’m so sorry Em, it’s so unfair but.. this is what ancient demons are like, they’re cruel, heartless and they don’t have any empathy unless it’s for their own gain. Are you..okay? Do you need a cuddle?”

“I...I don’t know, to be honest I’m just glad he was able to get a decision so quickly I- thank you for even asking him in the first place Asmo.” Em threw her head back hard against the bench, making her and Asmodeus rock a little at the force. The blood moon burned into her as she got lost in her thoughts, a dark red void just like her heart. So much was resting on her shoulders now and it was overwhelming. Her feelings for Levi; what would she do about them now that it had been confirmed her time here was limited? How would she even cope going back to the human realm after enjoying her time here with everyone. “Well...let's go meet the others at Hell's Kitchen.” her voice wavered, tears were starting to rise to the surface and she blinked rapidly to shoo them away.

_I don’t know what I expected honestly, of course I wouldn’t be able to stay; they’re demons for heaven's sake. I really am just a stupid little girl with far too much hope, I should’ve learned by now that the world is a cruel place._

_No, don't cry._

_Not here, not in public...and not in front of Asmodeus he probably feels guilty enough._ _  
__  
_Asmodeus whipped his head around to look at her, his mouth agape. “Eh? Are you sure you still want to? We can just go back to the House if y-”

Em snapped before he could continue “Asmo really. I’m fine. Besides, the others are waiting.” she forced a smile and pushed down her sadness, dwelling on it right now wouldn’t help and avoiding everyone would just worry them. 

"Em this isn't the last of it, we can always appeal their decision; I can talk to Diavolo one more time too!"

"Asmo please, just drop it...l-lets go." Her tone turned cold and she looked down at her feet, sensing the shock and guilt coming from him.

_I’m sorry Asmo, I wasn’t snapping at you._

_I just really don’t want to think about it right now._

_I have far too much on my mind._

He said nothing but looked at her concerned, Em wasn’t usually one to snap like that, but it was understandable; he hadn't even told her about his talk with Diavolo back in the retreat as he was so sure she'd be able to stay so to get her hopes up instantly and have them crushed within seconds, it wasn't something that he could blame her short temper for. But he didn’t want to cause her any more pain than he already had and remained silent, pushing himself up off the bench and gesturing for her to link arms with him.

Em hesitantly accepted and they walked down to the main streets together in an awkward silence.

* * *

The restaurant was heaving, but luckily due to Beels connections with the owners they’d managed to grab the best table in the place; Mammon had a tankard full of his promised Demonus and Beel had a plate of devil pork ribs as he tore into the meat laughing and joking with his brother.

Upon their arrival both brothers waved Em and Asmo over excitedly. “Oi get your asses over here! We’re plannin’ how to prank Lucifer!” Mammon held his DDD up gleefully. “Levi’s in on it too!” 

At the mention of her love interest Ems heart sank and the fake smile dropped for a second. The silver haired brother raised an eyebrow and then turned towards Asmo asking what was wrong wordlessly.

Asmodeus winced as he looked over to the girl who was clearly attempting to hide her emotions so she didn’t ruin the high spirits everyone seemed to be in.“Ha! yeah I’m in~ Oooh I have an idea what we could do, I’ve got loads of succubi on my contacts~”. He dragged Em over to the table and patted her hand reassuringly. “Em I’ll grab you a drink!” 

_Hell knows I could do with one right now.._

_I just need to stay distracted until we get back home._

“Wait should you even be drinking Demonus Em? I remember Levi saying you didn’t handle yo-” Asmodeus threw a glare over to Beel and shook his head. Em needed a drink today he didn’t care about the consequences right now, the poor girl needed something to lift her spirits at this moment in time.

“It’ll be fine! Just one won't hurt me.” she smiled at them reassuringly. The glutton frowned at her and started typing away to his otaku brother whilst Asmodeus and Mammon shuffled her towards the bar.

Beelzebub: Ems drinking Demonus with Mammon ಠ_ಠ

Leviathan: What? Why..?

Beelzebub: No idea but something’s definitely up with her.

Leviathan: Maybe she’s just stressed over Alchemy? She had double lessons today.

Beelzebub: Nah it’s not that..she’d normally rant about it like you do

Leviathan: I might go see her later, we haven’t really had a chance to talk lately, and we’re supposed to be hanging out tomorrow.

Beelzebub: I’ll try to get whatever it is out of her, hopefully you’re right and she’s just a little stressed I mean, it couldn’t have been easy sharing a room with Lucifer AND Satan all night.

Leviathan: Yeah those two are a nightmare on their own sometimes, well just keep me updated please? 

Leviathan: Keep an eye on her and make sure she’s safe.

Beelzebub: Will do bro.

“Oi Beel, get off your phone and help us!” Mammon ushered his brother over, one more drink had turned into three and before they knew it the quiet group conversations around them became more boisterous and cheery as the evening went on. The hours passed and they were all rather merry, spurred on by silver haired brother and the inability to say no to things, Em drank her weight in wine. 

_I just need more to numb myself right now, I don’t want to feel ANYTHING._

“So Em, how was your evening with Satan and Lucifer last night?” Beel asked, he was somewhere between tipsy and sober, eating thousands of calories in one sitting helped keep him grounded.

The inebriated human girl swayed a little in her seat and clumsily shoved some cheesy nachos into her mouth and smiled. “Well it wasn’t the easiest sleepover I’ve ever had” she chuckled. “They were both arguing over who got the top of the bed or the bottom, I ended up sleeping on the floor on my beanbag.. Lucifer likes to stretch out like a starfish in his sleep and Satan likes to talk to himself...it was pretty funny actually.” 

The brothers grinned, it looks like Em had loose lips when she was drunk, the perfect opportunity to get some secrets out of her. Asmodeus had also perked up during the evening thanks to the drunk and happy atmosphere around him. “Did they sleep naked?”

“What? No! Of course not” Em laughed. “oh but earlier that day when I went to see Satan he was wearing the CUTEST little cat slippers! I realllllly want a pair…” she whined.  
  
“How about I get you some for your birthday!” Asmodeus clicked his fingers, he’d been struggling on a present for her.

“No no! You already got me all of this!” she gestured towards her hair cut and body treatment. “Please don’t go to any more trouble on my accord, Asmo.” 

“Em I really don’t mind, you needed a makeover; just look at you, you’re even more beautiful now and L-anyone would be lucky to have you!” Asmo clapped his hands together. “Besides if it’s my bank you’re worried about don’t be, Mammon and I sometimes get gigs as models don’t we?” he glanced up at his white haired brother who beamed back at him.

“Yep that’s right! It’s great pay too! Better than what Levi makes writin’ those review thingies all the time!” he slurred his words as the alcohol seeped through his blood vessels. “That reminds me actually, Asmo. Devil Style have been wantin’ you to come do a special shoot sometime next week.” 

“Oh really? Well they haven’t emailed me or anything...but then that’s demon modelling agencies for you.” Asmodeus rolled his eyes. 

Beel slammed down his own tankard and belched loudly, causing Ems eardrums to echo a little. “Oh that’s right, you’re turning 19 next week right? I’ve already sorted your present out.” He grinned sheepishly, Beel had been one of the first brothers to decide on her gift and had ordered a big gift basket full of brownies, donuts and muffins; along with some recipe books that he was sure Satan would be more than happy to offer his assistance with. “What about you Mammon? You didn’t make her pay for her own present did you?” The larger brother crossed his arms, expecting a disappointing reply.

“Eh? What sorta demon do ya take me for Beel! ‘Course I got her something!” 

“Exactly. I take you for **a demon** , knowing how you are, you've probably stolen her present or begged Levi for more money to afford it.” Beel smirked, and chugged the rest of his drink down; several drops of alcohol slid down his neck.

“Excuse me, but did someone order the fried scorpion sandwiches?” A small demon waiter coughed to announce his presence, he was used to dealing with the drunk and disorderly and was quite used to the sight of the brothers by now.

“Ah yeah that’s mine thanks!” Mammon grinned at the sight of one of his favourite snacks. “They’re just missin’ some vinegar and tartar sauce...hey Em can ya pass me them?” he nodded his head towards the condiments next to her.

“Ew Mammon what are those things…” the human girl scrunched up her nose seeing the dark purple stingers arching out of the bread. “Are they...scorpions?”

_Maybe it's the drink talking, but they don’t actually look that bad up close._

“Eh?! Have I not shown ya my favourite snack in the world yet? Damn… well that just tells me that we need t’ eat out together more often!” 

“C-can I try a bit…” she asked innocently. 

Everyone raised an eyebrow in shock, they tended to stick to the more tame foods when in the humans company so they didn’t gross her out but here she was wanting to munch on some emperor scorpion legs? Either the Demonus destroyed human brain cells or she was just morbidly curious.

Asmodeus grimaced. “Em I really wouldn’t, scorpions are really dry and honestly a bit hairy, how about you try a bit of my void chicken wrap instead?” pushing his plate towards her, praying she’d take him up on the offer instead. Suddenly her DDD buzzed before she could make a decision.

Leviathan: Hey! Just checking in ^^

Em: Ohhey! How w as yout da?

Leviathan: >.> Em are you drunk?

Em: Nooooo! Just tpyin too quickc;y hah!

Leviathan: ಠ╭╮ಠ

Leviathan: Do I have to come and see for myself?

Em: Bt you don’t liik leavin the ouse :o

Leviathan: Well if my idiot brothers got you into this state then this calls for drastic measures :)

Leviathan: I’m on my way. 

Leviathan: Please don’t drink anything else and get something to eat!

Em winced and laughed nervously, she did not want Levi to see her in such a state. And after the news she’d had today, she couldn’t trust herself to not do anything reckless when he got there.

_But maybe seeing him right now is just what I need._

_I just need to control my emotions and keep my feelings hidden._

“What’s got you so happy?” Mammon frowned. “Em ya supposed to be enjoying time with us.” he moped.

“Oh sorry, well actually...Levi’s on his way.” she smiled dreamily, unable to be subtle about her anticipation of seeing him outside of his room for a change.

“EH?! SERIOUSLY?!” Mammon roared, causing a few of the bar staff to glare at him, they didn’t want him making a scene tonight; on too many occasions he had to be thrown out after closing.

“What what? I wanna know what’s so interesting~” 

“Mammon pipe down bro, I don’t wanna have to kick you out myself..” 

“Em just said _LEVI_ is on his way here! H-have we drank too much and fallen asleep or somethin’? Cuz even in my wildest dreams Levi wouldn’t come out drinkin’ with us.”

Beels eyes widened and he grit his teeth, he was supposed to look after Em tonight and make sure she didn’t go over her limit; which at the state of her swaying back and forth and humming merrily to herself he had failed that task, and Levi would give him hell for it.

“Oooooh Em no wonder you looked so happy, ” In his drunken state Asmodeus had forgotten his surroundings. Beel and Mammon snapped their heads towards him, intrigued by the meaning behind those words but they didn’t dwell on it.

After half an hour and more drunken small talk, Em spotted a blur of purple standing just at the entrance of the restaurant. His amber eyes peered through the crowded tables and then locked on to her from a distance and all of a sudden it was like they were the only ones in the room, everything else was drowned out; the noise, the demons around them as they were drawn to eachother like magnets. He had gotten changed for the outing and was now wearing his orange hoodie and some dark blue jeans.

_Oh he’s wearing his hoodie, ugh don’t wear something that cute Levi!_

He smiled a toothy grin as he caught her line of sight but then snapped his head towards the drunken brothers around her, furrowing his brow in disappointment. Taking a few deep breaths and what seemed like a small pep talk, he strode over to the table and threw his weight down next to her causing the bench to bounce a little and creak. 

Em blushed violently at the closeness between them, the bench was rather small and their arms were touching, sending her heart rate into overdrive.

_Just like I thought, him being here is helping me feel better._

But he had a sobering effect on her, and her mind started to absorb the bad news.

_Why do I have to leave you….can’t you...come with me?_

_Don’t be stupid you don’t even know if he likes you, why would he? Don’t forget your place, he’s an ex angel for god sake what would he ever see in someone so broken and insignificant._

_You can’t even compliment him in person, and you still hide so much of yourself behind the screen._

_What chance would you ever have?_

The raven haired girl winced at her inner turmoil, she wasn’t ready to feel the pain returning to her yet; at the very least she wanted to dull it a little longer and enjoy her evening with Levi and the brothers.

“Well it looks like you’re all having fun.” he smirked, glaring at Beel. “Maybe you should slow down a bit with the drinks though? Pretty sure Satanifer would be pretty pissed knowing how much you were drinking on a weekday.” 

“Satanifer?” Mammon raised an eyebrow, tilting his head in confusion.

Levi pinched his brow. “Mammon I didn’t think it was possible but you’re even more stupid when you’re drunk. It’s a fusion of their names because of the whole body swap thing, duh.” He chuckled and then stole a glance towards the woman next to him, she had been oddly quiet and hadn’t said anything to him yet.

Levi prodded her gently with his elbow and leaned in. “ _Hey, are you feeling okay? I...I hope I haven’t made you mad at me for showing up like this, I was just a bit worried about you.”_

At the sound of his sweet voice she snapped out of her self torment and looked up at him. “ _H-hi Levi_ ! _S-sorry I was just thinking about...things. Why would I be mad? You're here now, but I..I think I’m starting to sober up..."_ she pulled a face as the alcohol's effects started to fade. 

“ _Why do you sound so sad about that?”_ The purple haired otaku giggled. “ _I was right, you spend far too much time with Mammon. Maybe you need to spend a little more time with me, eh?”_

She couldn't help but smile in response to that. " _We already spend a lot of time together...sometimes I worry about you getting sick of me."_

"WHAT?!" He forgot his indoor voice momentarily and clenched his fists. " _I could NEVER get sick of you; who the hell said that? I'll kill them."_

_"N-no one...I just thought that-"_

“Hey you two, what are you whispering about~” Asmodeus teased, internally thankful that Em seemed to have forgotten all about what was said earlier. He couldn’t help but smile at the sight of the couple innocently flirting, would it be wrong to push them together knowing that ultimately both of them would end up hurt? It wasn’t his call to make and he knew that but he just wanted them both to be honest with each other about their feelings, watching the two of them was becoming almost painful.

“Leave them alone Asmodeus…” Beel interjected and rolled his eyes, smiling towards the lovebirds.”They’re probably just talkin’ about games or something, nothing you need to be concerned with.” 

Levi raised an eyebrow at his red haired brother, flattery wouldn’t get him anywhere; after they got back to the House tonight he’d be sure to give him an earful about Ems drinking habits. He was just thankful they hadn’t seemed to have left her alone at any point during the night, the demons in Hell's Kitchen got quite rowdy sometimes and a few of them were renowned for their short tempers, add a clueless, drunk human girl to the mix and you had yourself a disaster waiting to happen.

Mammon called a demoness waitress over. “Hey uh can we get another round, but add one extra for my brother? Just put it on my tab ‘kay?” he winked at her suggestively.

“Of course, anything for you Mammon” she smirked back at him, making a ‘call me’ gesture with her free hand and strutted back to the bar ensuring he could see her hips swinging seductively from side to side.

Asmodeus snorted. “Well it looks like one of us might not be going home tonight~ She’s cute Mammon, wrapped around your little finger I presume~?” 

“Heh sorta yeah…” Mammon grimaced, he still hadn’t really gotten over his crush on Em; but maybe a one night stand was what he needed for that final push. He scratched his head and glanced over to her talking to Levi, they seemed so happy together in their little bubble; there wasn’t any room for him. Biting his lip he decided it was time to move on; he’d already promised his brother that he wouldn’t confess his feelings no matter how much he wanted to, Mammon knew there was no chance that she felt the same way about him. “You know what guys I’ll be back in a sec!” He rose to his feet and staggered after the waitress.

“Well, we all know he’s not coming’ back anytime soon” Beel chuckled, feeling a little pang of envy. 

Em cringed a little at the thought, she did not want to think about what Mammon was getting up to tonight. She shook her head dismissing the gross images and stood up slowly. “I have to use the little humans room, I'll be back soon!” she announced.

Levi frowned up at her and watched her stumble towards the lower tier with her lip struggling to keep a smile afloat. It was obvious to him from the moment he sat down next to her that she was hiding something from him. 

Em sighed as she ambled down the staircase, holding on to the railings for dear life as the steps merged into one. 

She couldn’t get into the ladies room quick enough and sat down on the toilet seat sighing repeatedly, doing her best to distract herself from any negative thoughts threatening to crop up. Em threw her head into her hands and flinched a little feeling a damp spot on her cheek; it was no good the tears had won the battle of will and were flowing freely out of their optic prison. 

_I don’t want to leave, but it looks like there’s no other choice._

_What should I do? I know there’s no chance in hell he loves me or even likes me in that way, even if he just said he'd never get sick of me..._

_He even told me himself that there was no one but Ruri-chan…_

Suddenly the tears stopped and Em tilted her head. 

_Hang on, Levi still hasn’t gotten his body pillows back from Lucifer...and he hasn’t complained about it once._

_That’s his waifu. If I had 808 body pillows I’d be kicking and screaming to get them back, but...he doesn’t seem to care._

Em wiped her face with the sleeve of her academy uniform and exhaled slowly as she opened the stall. She quickly washed her hands and crept back out into the restaurant after doing a quick check in the mirror, her eyes were slightly puffy and red but she could easily blame the Demonus for that. As she turned her head away from the door she gasped.

Levi was leaning against the wall just opposite the bathroom, holding his head. “Hey sorry, I’m not trying to be creepy, I just didn’t want any demons picking on you so I waited here...they’re getting a bit rowdy upstairs and I..” he trailed off as he noticed the glaze over her forest coloured eyes. “Em? Are you okay? W-what’s up?”

“N-nothing! I don’t know what you’re talking about.” she averted her gaze and threw her head to face the floor. Levi pushed himself off the wall and strode over, leaning down so he was at eye level with her.

“I knew it...something happened today didn’t it? Y-you’ve been crying… haven’t you?” He ruffled his bangs, unsure of what to do. If she didn’t want to tell him what the matter was then that was fine but he didn’t like to see her upset. Extending one arm and trembling slightly he caressed her cheek, causing her to lock eyes with him; but she didn’t flinch or recoil like she had with Solomon. Her heart froze and her skin tingled at the romantic gesture, she had to bite down on her tongue to not throw herself towards him, it would surely scare him away.

Levi pierced his amber eyes into her and spoke confidently. “I’m not going to bug you to tell me, but I’m here if you need me okay? And if you want to sneak out of here and play something on the Zwitch with me then just say the word.”

_Oh Levi...you’re not helping me right now._

_I’m just going to cry harder if you do things like this._

_But honestly I’d love nothing more than to go with you._

“But what about the others? They’d tease you…” she remarked and muttered under her breath. " _Ugh why do I always have to ruin these sort of things..._ "

"Huh?" Levi raised an eyebrow and dropped his arm, he hadn’t meant to keep it there for longer than a moment. “Pah they can say what they want. I-is that a yes? Y-you don’t have to, we can stay here if that’s what you want I hope you don’t think I’ve come all this way just to drag you back I-”  
  
“Levi... “ she laughed at his ramble.”I do want to leave but...can we take a little detour on our way back? I’m not ready for the whole Lucifer and Satan freaky friday gig again yet.” her eyes shrank a little, she hadn’t heard from either of them all day.. Had they destroyed eachother? “Oh jeez I completely forgot about them!” she groaned.

It was Levi’s turn to laugh now. “Oh don't worry, they’re fine! **Lucifer** is in his office playing the piano..badly because I imagine it can’t be easy using someone elses hands, and when I left **Satan** was just about to step into the sho-. Ew…” he shuddered at the thought of being trapped in someone else's body whilst trying to bathe, especially one of his brothers. The truth was that was an excuse his brother had used when Levi had knocked on his door to make amends after a failed attempt at breakfast. “That's really gross now I think about it…”

Em chuckled and blushed a little in embarrassment at the image.

The purple haired demon shuddered and turned to Em. “Anyway should we get out of here?” He gestured towards the staff exit just to the left of them.

“Okay!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nice long chapter to apologize for the wait <3 I'm still a bit busy and life seems to really not like me writing this and keeps getting in the way, but I'm far too down the rabbit hole to give up on this now. 
> 
> But on a less serious note...it's coming guys...THE OTOME GAME ARC IS COMING
> 
> Thanks for being patient <3
> 
> p.s. I've actually gone back through the story and added missed details in the first 10 chapters, like for instance describing Ruri-chan and what the brothers are wearing in the prologue just little quality of life improvements if you're curious.


	49. Unrequited

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi and Em leave the bar and have a heart to heart, when they return to the House they're greeted by an unexpected figure.

“You have everything you came with right?” He held the staff door open for her, and gestured towards the alley.

“Yep! it’s all here...thankfully I didn’t bring a bag but- wait didn’t they buy you a drink?” She furrowed her brow, feeling that familiar pang of guilt that she was the cause of another ruined evening.

“Already taking care of it, don’t stress.” Levi held his DDD in his hand grinning to her reassuringly, the goldfish plush shimmied from side to side as he shook his phone. “Come on, let’s get out of here.”

Leviathan: Em’s had too much to drink so I’m taking her home, feel free to have my drink.

Leviathan: But I’m still pissed you all let her get into this state >:(

Beelzebub: Oh ok! Well I’ll see you later or tomorrow then

Beelzebub: and I’m really sorry bro, but she really looked like she needed it :(

Leviathan: And I look like I need to get out more, but that doesn’t mean I do

Leviathan: ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ no excuses Beel 

Leviathan: <3

Em smiled and followed after him as he pocketed his phone. The two snuck down the alleyway and rejoined society in the now lifeless main street. All that could be heard was the sound of muffled laughter and music leaking out from various half open doors and windows, and the pitter patter of their feet against the cobblestone. She swayed a little as she walked, one foot in front of the other with every baby step. As soon as she'd stood up from the bench and made her way down to the toilets she'd felt the wine surge through her system properly.

Levi couldn’t help but giggle, although he was annoyed with his brothers for letting her get in this state and perhaps ever so slightly irritated at her own reckless behaviour. “Where did you want to go, Em?”

She started to feel a little drowsy and yawned out a reply. “Huh? Oh..anywhere!”

_Are you sure you don’t want to go to bed?_

_Well..it's your call._

“Anywhere?” he raised an eyebrow, looking around for inspiration. “Well you know I don’t normally get out but uhh, hey I know a place that’s quiet and somewhere you’ll like.” The otaku narrowed his eyes seeing her stagger infront of him and bit his lip, in any normal circumstances it would be inappropriate but the place he had in mind was a dangerous path for someone who was staggering around like a newly born fawn. “Em...come here.” he sighed.

Levi crouched down on his knees and flicked his head suggestively. “You can’t walk in that state so….I’ll carry you.” his ears burned at the order. She almost fell on her face in shock but then looked down at the floor, her head was spinning...and he was offering of his own volition.

“O-okay...but aren’t I heavy?” The tipsy woman ambled over to him and hesitantly swung her leg around him, thanking Mephisto she was wearing pants with her uniform today. 

Levi chuckled and gingerly grabbed her legs, hoisting her up onto his back.“Pfff you’re tiny! Come on, we’ll find out..” he lifted himself up and supported her weight, feeling his heartbeat racing with her head resting on his shoulder and her arms around his neck that were clinging on for support.

_It’s a good thing I didn’t get a chance to drink anything…_

_I need to ask her what’s wrong when we get there._

_But I feel like it’d be a waste to ask, she never tells me anything._

Deciding she needed some laughter after how she looked coming out of the bathroom, he faked some sharp exhales and groaned like he was in pain. “Ugh..s-so...h-heavy..I can feel myself..f-falling.” he gripped her legs tighter and let himself lean back a little as if he were struggling. Em panicked momentarily and squeezed around his neck, causing him to wheeze a little. “A-ack I-I’m kidding Em!” he managed to croak out.

She instantly released him and laughed nervously. “O-oh I’m sorry! Are you okay?” 

“I’m fine! Your puny human muscles are nothing compared to Mammon strangling me, or Beels punches..” he muttered hoping she wouldn’t hear that last bit. “Well, let’s go.”

They began their journey back towards the House, but after a few moments Em pressed a question whilst she still had enough alcohol in her system. “Levi, can I ask you something?”

She felt his chest shudder with silent laughter. “Well technically you just did, but sure what's up?” 

“Pffff alright, smart ass” Em giggled into the back of his neck, causing him to feel a tingling sensation down his spine. “I was wondering why Lucifer still has your Ruri-chan pillows?”

Levi froze in place, if he hadn’t of been carrying her he would’ve thrown his head in his hands in embarrassment. He had completely forgotten about those pillows, which in turn had probably made Lucifer question it, and it had been weeks since the party so asking for them back now would just raise even more questions. The nervous demon remained silent and ambled down the path, caught in an internal battle with himself.

_What the hell do I tell her?! I don’t want to lie to her but if I tell her I just forgot she’ll think something is seriously wrong with me, but wait..she is drunk…_

_Is she drunk enough to forget everything that I tell her tonight? I don’t know._

_...I’ll just be honest with her._

The silence had worried her, especially hearing his breath hitch and feeling his shoulders tense up when asked.“Levi?”

“S-sorry, ah...yeah. Honestly I completely forgot he still had them…” he laughed nervously, for a little too long.

That answer seemed to make Em even more concerned though and she pressed him more. “But I thought you said Ruri-chan was your one and only? I couldn’t imagine being parted with my body pillows if I had any...unless.” She stopped in her tracks. “Do you... not love Ruri-chan anymore?”

His eyes widened and he was very thankful humans didn’t have x-ray vision. “O-of course I do! I just...forgot! So much has happened lately is all! I’ll ask Lucifer for them back tomorrow, I promise!” he coughed, feeling rather uncomfortable. “Anyway, you! What’s got you wanting to drink Demonus of all drinks and..how are you even conscious!”

“W-what do you mean?” She frowned, confused by the statement.

“Well..I remember the time you drank with Solomon...the first time. Mammon told us you’d passed out?”

“Ohh that yeah hah, Solomon told me that particular wine was super strong; it must have been Demonus right? Maybe because it was my first time trying it it just knocked me out?” she said casually. “I remember feeling tipsy on movie night from that tiny glass too”

_Tipsy from half a glass to three tankards tonight?_

_Hmmm...maybe she just built up a tolerance then._

“As for why?” Em sighed heavily against him, bringing Levi back to his senses. “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask about it but...I have to leave here when the year is up.”

He tilted his head puzzled by the odd statement.“...I thought we knew that already? When the exchange is up right? Because that’s when Belphie comes back in your place” 

Em groaned, the mention of his younger brother had called her to recollect a few of their conversations together and due to the alcohol lowering her guard she found herself talking about him too. “Oh right yeah that...ugh. Hey Levi? Was Belphie always a bit of a jerk? Some of the things he says..”

Now he really was confused, maybe she really wasn’t handling the drink as well as he thought. “Em..what do you mean by that? Why are you talking about Belphie like you’ve met him, that would be impossible. He’s taken your place in the human realm?” He grew concerned now. “Do you need some water or something? How's your head?”

_Em what the hell?_

_D-did someone spike her drink?!_

Ems eyes widened in horror and she held her mouth open, cursing herself for mentioning him in the present tense. “Ah sorry, I just remembered a dream I had!” it wasn’t the best idea but, she’d have to act drunker than she currently was to brush off his intrigue. 

“I dream about you too, allllll the time!” she spoke out in a melodic tone.

Levi’s heart rate rapidly increased and his voice cracked, feeling incredibly dry all of a sudden. “W-what?” he squeaked out.

“Y-yeah!” she beamed, hoping she sounded ridiculously intoxicated right now as she spewed out crap.”We were actually two students in Your Hero Academia, you had your demon powers and I had the power of invisibility, oh and then for some reason Lucifer was in charge of us like a teacher? And he had three heads!” if it hadn’t been enough to convince him then the next thing out of her mouth was. 

“H-hey can I touch your hair? It looks really soft and fluffy…” Em boldly started stroking the back of his head gently, causing him to subconsciously shudder at the massaging motion.

_Definitely spiked..or just..super drunk. I thought she said she was sobering up earlier?_

_Well there’s one thing I can do to test both of those possibilities out._

Levi halted and bent down slowly. “Em can you get down for a second? I just need to stretch my back..” he lied as he shook his head to throw off the tingling sensation it had caused him.

“Oh sure!” she said happily, inside her mind she felt like maybe she’d offended him or gone too far with the facade. Em stopped fondling his scalp and lifted herself off him dropping to the ground softly, leaning against one of the buildings for support. They were just about to hit the outskirts of the main street now, and the path ahead was turning more wild and unforgiving, the tip of the Houses spire could just about be seen in the distance at the top of the hill.

Levi slowly rose back to his feet and spun around, slamming the wall next to her and causing her to freeze, along with her heart. He steadily leaned in, getting closer to her face so there were only inches between them but Em knew she had to keep up the charade; a drunk person wouldn’t care about the close proximity, even if he could practically hear the swarm of butterflies in her stomach flapping their wings right now. He locked eyes with her, searching for any sign of foul play. Her pupils were extremely dilated and she was blushing, but that could be due to the drink itself. He growled slightly in concern as Em smiled innocently up at him and giggled, trying to sound unphased. “Sooooo...is there a reason you’re kabedonning me right now?”

 _Okay_ _she didn’t react to it and I can’t see any signs that she’s been spiked by someone so….drunk._

_Jeez I hope she forgets all of this tomorrow._

Retracting his hand slowly and turning his head to hide his own flustered expression, he replied in relief. “Well you’re definitely too drunk to function, either that or I’m just….”

_Either that or you just don’t feel any attraction towards me.._

She tilted her head, her glassy eyes staring up at him. “You’re just..?”

He sucked the inner corner of his cheek, was she drunk enough to ask her outright what she thought of him? It would be a very risky question, so instead he laughed it off. “Nevermind! I must not have done it right, always wanted to try it though! How was it? Did your heart go doki doki?”

She giggled nervously, not really knowing how to answer that right now. “It scared the hell out of me if that’s what you mean, so yeah.” With his low self esteem Levi took that as a rejection, he said nothing and lowered himself again, Em took the hint and jumped back on him with little grace and they made their way back up the hill in silence.

As they neared the gates she pouted and broke the tension. “I thought we weren't going back right away?” she asked, inhaling his shampoo and fighting back the urge to nuzzle her head into his indigo locks and fall asleep right there.

“We’re not. Trust me.” was all he said as they walked up the winding path towards the Devildom Lake, but Levi took what Em thought was the wrong turn and after a few minutes of walking she could just about see bright lights on the horizon. 

Levi smiled, sensing her awe and leant back down so she could get back on her own feet. He pointed towards a large log. “Right human, sit and stay away from the edge.” he commanded playfully.

She did as he said and planted herself on the log, Levi ruffled his bangs and joined her, sitting a few inches away so not to tempt himself. 

_I cannot make a move on her, she’s drunk for hell's sake._

_What am I saying? As if I’d ever do that even if she were sober._

Em arched her back up and stared out off the cliffside, the Devildom below them was glittering with lights like fireflies and the blood moon hung over them like a giant UV light. It was a breathtaking sight and it made her gasp and throw her hand over her mouth in amazement.

He stared over at her, watching her expression change into sheer joy and he sighed in relief. “Phew, well..you seemed to have cheered up a bit.” Em whipped her head back around to face him, in the glow of the moon and all the colours from the city it was like he was radiant, the moon bounced off his violet hair and his eyes shone a brighter amber as they sparkled in the moonlight.

She threw her head down, unable to look at him. If she did she’d say something that he might have found gross or disgusting. Instead she pretended it was just a motion to flick her hair and upon completing the action she stared back into the Devildom. “Y-yeah I have a bit. Thank you...this is beautiful..”

"I found this place on one of my first jogs alone, so sometimes after a workout I'll just sit here and watch everything whilst thinking about-"Levi chuckled for a moment and then turned stern before he slipped up. “A-anyway Em, I know it’s none of my business. But you need to be careful drinking like that..” He pierced his eyes into the side of her face pleading for her to make eye contact with him. “Like I said before, you don’t have to tell me but...what happened?”

Em bit her lip and stole a sideways glance, he looked worried and a little hurt; she had been hiding too many things from him lately. After battling the pros and cons of telling him she resigned herself and forced herself to look at him. “Earlier when I told you I was leaving I wasn't just being forgetful...Asmodeus asked Diavolo if I could possibly stay in the Devildom...after the year was up.”

_W-what?!_

Upon seeing his baffled expression she sighed and continued. “But the elders rejected it without a second thought...apparently I don’t belong here and this is no place for a human, and even if my year was a success...they basically didn’t care.” she kicked a small pebble, causing it to launch off the cliff. "Ugh, and I snapped at him earlier...I have to apologize to him first thing tomorrow..."

It took a few minutes for Levi to process the news as it hit him. “Em...I-I’m so sorry. Ugh those elders don’t know what they’re talking about. We could protect you, all of us.” But he couldn’t help but be a little confused about why Asmodeus had asked that in the first place. “Can I ask you something?”

“S-sure…” she exhaled, knowing exactly what was coming.

“Why did you want to stay here of all places? I know you...haven’t spoken to your father but what about your mom? Your family..” In his desperation to know the truth Levi accidentally mentioned information he’d learned in the cafe.

Em snapped her head up at the mention of her father, she couldn’t recall telling Levi about that but maybe she’d just forgotten, her head was starting to spin from the alcohol anyway so she shrugged it off, she’d revisit it when she was in her right state of mind.. “There’s no point in hiding it from you anymore...you can think I’m pathetic and broken all you want after this but- Levi. Back in the human realm I was in therapy for my depression, I..attempted to take my own life many times and my mother didn’t cope well after my father pretty much disowned us. I locked myself in my room for years and she did the bare minimum; she made sure I was alive and eating but never once asked how I was doing or attempted to coax me out, instead that was the neighbours job.” She winced and shut her eyes, her heart beating out of her chest as she expected the sensation of the log to lift and he’d walk off, not wanting to deal with any more unnecessary emotional baggage. 

_Ah...this is why she kept it a secret from me..but why me?_

_She even told Solomon before me_ ...

 _Y_ _ou know what that’s not important right now._

To her surprise, the log only got heavier.

Levi threw his arms around her and cradled the human girl, nuzzling his head into the nape of her neck to comfort her and keep his rage in check. “You...you really don’t know how much you mean to me, do you?” he sighed, mumbling into her hair, his voice was but a whisper now. “ _Em after everything we’ve been through together, do you really still think of me that way? I would never think you were pathetic, or broken. I care about you a lot….I can’t believe your parents though...tsk and they call us the monsters._ ” he trailed off, pushing his anger down.

_Keep it cool._

_I can’t help but feel enraged for her, she’s had such a horrible life._

_There must be SOMETHING we can do about the elders' decision._

_Maybe there’s some advice online._

“I’m sorry Levi..I know you care I just..I’m not used to it..having people that care about me I mean.” she reached up and placed a hand on his arms, feeling that all familiar jolt of electricity at the touch of him. “I guess a part of me still distances myself from everyone...even you.”

He winced at those words but ultimately couldn’t think of anything to say in response, instead he opted to shift the conversation into a lighter tone and tore himself away. “Well start getting used to it. We all care about you, maybe even Lucifer.” he smiled warmly. “So..uhh..I know you’re probably gonna be hungover but tomorrow...d-did you still want to do something with me? I totally understand if after tonight you don’t want to.”

“I’ll be honest with you, I was thinking of taking a rain check on tomorrow but…” Em cracked a smile at him. “I’m the one who invited you in the first place, and I think it’d be better than sitting in my room crying all day.”

“Well if you want to do that together then I don’t mind either..uhh the sitting in your room not the crying part…” he chortled, gazing at her affectionately.

Em peered sombrely upwards at him and laughed morbidly. “Well you’re the one that told me crying alone sucked. Anyway...I think I’m ready for bed now, thanks for bringing me here and I’m really sorry for ruining your night...again.”

“Hey! You didn’t ruin anything, I’m the one who chose to come and if I’m being honest? I probably would have only had that one drink and ran back to the House with my tail between my legs.” he winked playfully. 

“Well come on princess, your chariot awaits” Levi said, wriggling his back against her.

"Are you sure? I-I've sobered up a lot now after that talk, I could probably walk myself." she half lied.

"I'm sure, you've only got little legs and well, what sort of man would I be to not see you through the entire journey" he blushed slightly and teased. "Besides you can't stroke my fluffy hair from all the way down there".

She cringed and laughed awkwardly, but decided not to argue with him and clumsily climbed onto his back feeling the heat radiate from his body underneath the burnt orange hoodie. The cool breeze of the evening as the temperature dropped mixed with the alcohol's effect started to work its magic, and she was fighting to stay awake. Perhaps the Demonus had hit her harder than she previously thought, and it was the adrenaline and stress keeping her conscious.

From the corner of her eye she spotted a glint of white below them sitting on the steps of the House slumped over, possibly passed out from drinking. “Mammon?”

_No? I’m Levi…?_

Levi scratched his head, unsure of what to do. “Em…?” he gestured to himself and stretched out his hair towards her “It’s me... _Levi._ Purple hair..see?” a wide cheshire like grin slowly spread onto his face "You should know from dreaming about fondling it."

She shook her head and giggled sleepily, he was not letting her live that down. “No, no! It’s Mammon..I think!” whilst tapping him on the arm, throwing her head suggestively. “Look!" she yawned.

“Huh?” Levi turned his head to face the path ahead of them, after squinting his eyes to adjust to the change in scenery he could confirm it was indeed his older brother. The tinted shades on his head were a dead giveaway even from that distance.

_I thought he went home with the waitress?_

By the time Levi had strode up to the steps, Em was fast asleep against him, she’d fought to stay conscious to at the very least murmur out a greeting to Mammon but in the end had lost the battle. Levi couldn’t help but laugh quietly to himself, causing her to stir slightly. 

_Out like a light...well I’m not surprised after our talk._

As he crept up towards the House the otaku sensed something wasn’t quite right. His usually cheerful and mischievous brother was quiet, except for a few muffled whimpers. The silver haired demon's face was puffy, his tan skin stained with the remnants of tears. Levi coughed gently to announce his presence, making a hush gesture with his finger as he shifted his gaze towards the sleeping woman on his back.

“ _L-levi? What are ya doin’ here? I thought ya wanted to drink with the others for a bit...”_ Upon the sight of his purple haired brother, Mammon swiftly wiped his face with the sleeves of his leather jacket throwing on a plastic smile. “ _Wait...is that..”_

Knowing that his brother had been crying didn’t sit right with Levi, but his back was starting to give way. Em was in no way heavy but she was pushing him down with her unconscious body and they’d walked quite a distance back and forth. _“Let’s walk and talk..please.”_

Mammon sighed one last time and forced himself to his feet, they were the last two people in the Devildom he’d wanted to run into. He glanced over Levi’s shoulder and stared achingly at Em in her peaceful form. _“Is she okay?”_

 _“I think so...just drank a bit too much...at first I thought she’d been spiked.”_ Levi decided not to tell Mammon anything of their talk, it wasn’t his place and he considered that information confidential, unless he already knew.

The two brothers spoke in quiet voices as they meandered down the corridors. It was a difficult decision to weigh but in the end they opted to take Em back to her room. Lucifer would have had a fit if she’d stayed in one of their rooms, even if it was for her own safety. The last thing either of them wanted was to leave her unconscious, what if she vomited during the night and needed assistance? Or maybe she just wanted some company? But no, they trusted that she’d just sleep until ‘morning’. 

The otaku carefully squatted, supporting the weight with his knees as Mammon lifted her off his spine with ease. He placed the sleeping girl on the mattress with the same care as a maker of fine china. Levi pulled a blanket over her and kissed her forehead tenderly before he could convince himself not to, she smiled in her sleep as they both bid her goodnight before they closed the door.

“Right, well I’ll see ya in the mornin!” Mammon beamed, and waved his brother goodbye.”Can’t wait for more body swappin’ fun!” 

“Oh no you don’t!” Levi grabbed his older brother by the shoulder forcefully. “You’re coming with me, right now.” 

The Avatar of Greed hung his head and dropped his shoulders in resignation.”Fine…ya got me.” It was no good trying to hide it from someone as stubborn as Leviathan.

He let himself be ushered away towards the shut-ins room, where they could talk privately.

* * *

Levi passed his brother a can of PHD pepper from his mini-fridge and joined him on his navy sofa. “Mammon...were you...crying earlier?” he asked with intrigue.

Mammon snatched the can and held it in his hands firmly.“D-don’t be stupid, I ain’t as soft as you!” the white haired demon crossed his arms and averted his gaze, refusing to look Levi in the eyes. 

“Says the one who sobbed hysterically over TSL” Levi remarked. “But anyway...what happened with that waitress?” 

Mammon hesitantly met his brother's worried expression and he sighed exasperatedly whilst running his ivory nails through his equally snow-white spikes. “Ya aint gonna like it…” he gripped the can tighter.

“Try me.” Levi shrugged and leaned forward, his eyes piercing into Mammons for any sort of tell, now he really wanted to know the news.

“Levi..I-I wanted to I really did, but we were foolin’ around in the staff room and I couldn’t...it-” Mammon reeled in humiliation for what he was about to confess to his virgin brother. “ ** _It_** wouldn’t **_work_** _.”_ He snapped his head up to read his inexperienced siblings reaction, Levi raised his eyebrows in realization and gasped. 

“Ah.” There was nothing more to be said.

_What does this have to do with me?_

_It’s not my fault you couldn’t get it up!_

The broken demon hid his face in shame and stamped his feet in discomfort.“Yeah, t-that’s never happened to me! Ever! So don’tcha be goin’ round tellin’ the others kay?” 

“Pffft like I would? I’m not as cruel as you.” Levi rolled his amber eyes, but he wasn’t quite finished. “So...any reason as to uhh why you couldn’t..you know…” he stammered, trying to finish his sentence without words.

“Hah that’s the bit ya not gonna like…” Mammon exhaled dramatically and stared up at the iridescent ceiling. “I-I aint over her and..” he grimaced “I was wonderin’ if...if I could tell her how I feel?”

“Over who? The waitress?” Levi scratched his chin. “Mammon you’re not making any sense.”

“Not the waitress ya idiot! EM! I aint over Em 'kay! I lied to ya that night in the retreat!” He wanted to throttle his brother for being so dense, about this and the fact that the girl they both had feelings for was so obviously into him. Asmodeus’ earlier comment had confirmed that Levi had won her affections without even trying and Mammon knew that he could never have her, and as the Avatar of Greed it was a reality he never imagined having to deal with before.

“O-oh…” the otaku frowned and winced at his own hesitation.He hadn’t even been able to confess his own feelings for her yet and now his brother wanted to be the first one to tell her? 

_Shit._

_With everything going on I completely forgot about telling her how I felt!_

_But now Mammon’s going to beat me to it before I can even make that decision._

“If you’re not okay with it then I won’t say anythin’ to her and I’ll deal with it in my own way..” Mammon sensed the hesitation in his brother's expression.

Levi stared back at his depressed older sibling and studied him. His swollen eyes, the dark circles under them and the fading remnants of tear stains down his cheeks. It wasn’t very often he was upset to this degree unless it involved horror movies or losing his credit card. But upon reflecting how he would feel in his shoes, the otaku decided to accept it. “N-no..it’s fine. It would be scummy of me to not let you... but...what if..” he trailed off as his doubt crept up.

_What if the guy she likes is...is Mammon? I mean it’d make sense, she stands up for him a lot and they spend a lot of time together without me._

_Or what if she doesn’t like him but her kind hearted nature means she can’t reject him and then they start dating anyway and I’ll have to watch them both be happy for the next 8 months?_

_I don’t think I could take it._

Mammon was taken aback at the kindness his younger brother was showing, if he’d asked this question a few months ago Leviathan would have torn the House apart and kicked up a fuss like an imp; however it sounded like deep down his confidence was still struggling. “I know what ya thinkin’ Levi and I’m tellin’ ya now there’s no way in the three realms she feels that way about me.”

“Y-you think? I mean I dunno, you two are quite close and you always seem to be having fun without me..when you’re hanging out after classes or in the Devildom together shopping..” 

Mammon sighed, his tone became harsh and unforgiving. “Levi, just cuz I’m upset doesn’t mean I won’t punch ya for being a damn idiot.”

They both start laughing, Mammon was right, he was being silly. His older brother took a few sips of his soda and pressed a question he’d always wanted to ask. “Say, I never got the chance to ask...why do you like her?”

Levi raised his eyebrows and smiled as he spoke with emotion. “M-me? Well uhh, she’s the only person who has ever stood up for me, even just looked in my direction instead of pretending I didn’t exist, which she could’ve easily done after that first impression I gave her. She understands me, cares about me and I’ve..I’ve never felt special like that to anyone before.” he scratched his chin, pausing for a second. “I guess you could say it was her kindness, she even defended you that first day when I insulted you to her, it shocked me because she knew nothing about you but still saw the good in you and I found myself wanting to know if she saw anything in me too. A-and of course I think she’s attractive p-physically but I- it’s more than that. She’s just a beautiful soul and I love everything about her...even her flaws like how she eats too much, she can be a little bit of an airhead, she frustrates me sometimes...things like that, because she wouldn’t be the same person without them.” the purple haired lovestruck demon glanced back up and dropped his smile. “S-sorry I didn’t mean to ramble on that much..”

Mammon sat in silence for a few seconds and then chuckled, he couldn’t help but be touched by his brother's feelings for the girl and the way he spoke of her. “Hah yeah, that’s one of my reasons too...everyone always calls me an idiot and treats me like one, but Em has never said mean stuff about me; even my exes used to talk crap to my face…” Mammon blushed slightly and cleared his throat. “She’s just such a nice person it’s no wonder we both fell for her. And of course she's got a bangin' body, but don't tell her I told you that." he winked.

_He's being crass about it but...he's not wrong._

Levi hid his face. “T-that and she changes people around her, she...she made me realize things about myself that I’d never thought of before. I have her to thank for reminding me that there’s more to life than Ruri-chan or animé..” the otaku suddenly felt his eyes going dewy as his emotions came bubbling to the surface and a few tears slid down his cheek, Mammon furrowed his brow with worry. "I was nothing before she came here."

“Are you.. okay?” he asked, sliding his tinted shades back down.

“S-sorry yeah I just..I love her so much..sometimes I just..leak.” Levi bashfully wiped his tears away. "I need to pull myself together heh"

“Ya big cry baby” the avatar of greed laughed before pressing his lips into a thin line. “Well, I’d better get back to my room. Are ya sure you don’t mind me tellin’ her?”

_Dude I JUST saw you crying outside!_

_But whatever..I'll let it go this once._

The otaku hid his face in shame. “I’m...sure, but...this might be a bit selfish..can it wait until after tomorrow? We’re both going to the café together, just the two of us I think and I know it’s stupid to get worked up over something so small and it’s probably just lunch to her but to me it's a big deal and quite possibly the first date I've ever had, ah wait! I'm not saying it IS a date, I mean it might be? But I-”

“Okay, it’s a deal.” Mammon exhaled deeply and scratched the back of his head. “But after that I can do it anytime?”

“Y-yeah...can you let me know..how it goes?” Levi winced as he asked, he wanted to know out of sheer curiosity, but he also wanted to respect his brother's privacy.

“Oi who do ya think I’m gonna come and cry on when she rejects me?” the silver haired demon raised an eyebrow and threw his hands on his hips.

Levi’s amber eyes widened. “O-oh…”

“I’m kiddin’..sort of” Mammon chortled and smacked Levi’s shoulder playfully. “Well, have fun on ya date not date tomorrow; I’ll let you know if she says anything about ya” he winked. “But really, you should tell her how you feel too, especially if ya cryin’ about her like that all the time. It’s not good to hold it in.” 

_He’s right...I have to tell her._

_I just hope it doesn’t ruin our friendship when she rejects me._

“T-thank you…” the shut-in held the back of his neck and threw his head down. “Mammon, I want to apologize to you..for..well..you’re not total scum, and you’re not as stupid as we all say you are I-I know we’ve always had a difficult relationship bu-”.

“Apology accepted. And I guess whilst we’re being sappy, you’re not that worthless either. I’ve always thought you were real smart and I guess some of the things you watch aren’t completely awful. Em showed me a few of them and I actually quite liked the one with the uhh detectives, the rich one!”

“Oh Billionaire Detective? Yeah I’m not surprised you like that” Levi chuckled and put on a deep voice. “Wow who knew the great Mammon Avatar of Greed, Mammoney would actually _watch_ animé and like it?” he would be sure to hold on to this new information and tease his animéphobic brother every chance he got after tonight.

“Oi! Don’t you be goin’ round tellin’ the others! Or about the...waitress...thing.”Mammon arched his back and slowly rose to his feet. “Anyway, I’m gonna go. Thanks for the talk Levi and for the blessin’.”

"N-no problem, but Mammon. We still need to talk about the whole Solomon thing properly after everything with Satan and Lucifer..and well...your confession is dealt with. I...I can't make my mind up about him, I made the mistake of telling Satan about Limbo and..well you've probably noticed he's not speaking to me. And I don't have anyone else to talk about this with s-so..can we?"

The fashionable demon couldn't help but be surprised at that. "Sure, like I said. I'm gonna need a shoulder to cry on after Em dumps me." he shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly.

"About that...Mammon...aren't you worried it'll ruin your relationship with her? i-if she rejects you.." the introvert fiddled with his hands awkwardly. It was one of the main reasons that stopped him from confessing his own feelings, so whatever his brother said in response was a deciding factor in his constant war between his heart and his brain.

Mammon tittered."'Course I am, but it's like Satan said at the retreat; I'll regret it when she leaves and I never got to tell her." he itched his nose. "'Sides we were never that close anyway, it's mostly me chasing her round the Academy..." he saw the frown appear on his brothers lips. "Levi, I don't think ya have anythin' to worry about, maybe you should be more concerned with Solomon confessin', he's confident enough to do it we know that much. Hell he's one step ahead of you with that kiss and that tacky-ass bracelet."

"Ugh I know...but I'd never take advantage of her like that, especially after what she said about Nate. Besides I-I've never kissed anyone, I wouldn't know how to". He tilted his head awkwardly to mimic the action, resembling a dog begging for treats.

"Are ya telling me you've never had a moment with her? You two spend a lot of time alone together in eachothers rooms..."

Levi's face flushed and he felt very warm. "Uhhh a few days ago, I ended up on top of her on this sofa and well I-I almost did." Mammon chuckled but let him continue. "I couldn't bring myself to do it, I was too scared incase she slapped me or found me disgusting."

"See I said ya smart, but too smart for your own good. Stop thinking so hard about it! Levi, I'm pretty sure she likes you...maybe its not my place to say this but Asmo said something interesting earlier, has she never showed signs that she feels the same?" 

"HAH?! What did he say! B-but no, after she kissed me goodnight that one time on the cheek there's been nothing; maybe the odd comment or compliment here or there but I'm sure she's just saying it to be nice." he paused. "Plus I'm pretty sure she likes someone else...she was..extremely defensive when I asked her last night."

Mammon facepalmed, when he got the chance to tell Em of his feelings he was also now determined to ask her outright what she felt for the otaku. If he didn't then he was certain this back and forth flirting and indecisiveness would go on for the rest of the year. "It wasn't anythin' really obvious but when she told us you were on ya way he teased her for looking so happy about it. Maybe ya should try harder to pay attention to the signs tomorrow? If you're not sure then just message me. The Great Mammon can sniff out flirtin' from girls just as easily as Asmo!" he beamed and grabbed the door handle. "Right I'm really goin' now or we'll end up talkin' all night, seriously though stop thinkin' so damn hard about things!"

_She's happy to see me? that's all you have to go on?_

"That...doesn't mean anything but about tomorrow, I-I'll try to be on my guard" The otaku saw his brother off and awkwardly embraced him for what felt like the first time in centuries before crawling into his bedtub, overwhelmed with conflicting emotions from the events of that evening.

_It was weird her bringing Belphie up like that, no-one else talks about him..unless maybe that's why she's close with Beel these days?_

_Eh, I'm sure it's just me overthinking things like Mammon said._

_I need to relax._

_I'll just send her a quick message saying goodnight._

Leviathan: Don't hesitate to summon any of us if you feel sick okay? Sleep be damned...maybe not Asmodeus though, he probably sleeps naked ^^;; 

Leviathan: Good night and sweet dreams, Em.

_You deserve nothing but happiness after what you've been through._

He looked down dreamily at her profile picture and fell asleep with a smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Poor Mammon :(  
> and poor Levi with the stress and confusion he's under.
> 
> Hope you guys liked this chapter, I tried to keep it a mix of fluff and angst and I loved the idea of Levi and Mammon finally having a sit down together properly and getting everything out in the open.
> 
> Unrelated: The beach nightmare came out (I'm not even touching on the 100 DV thing) and I'm lowkey angry that our boi didn't get any love, he's a water demon T_T a BEACH event would have been perfect! It's got me so salty I might have to write a beach event myself.
> 
> update: Ok I woke up at 4am and as LucienAngel stated, there he was in his otaku glory <3 now to spend the next 11 days grinding for that beautiful SSR
> 
> update 10/08/20: Due to a death in the family it may be longer than the usual week wait for the next chapter, thank you for understanding <3


	50. Happy Families

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tea is spilled.

Beel winced as he read the text from his shut-in brother, Levi was not happy with the state they’d let her get in. He pocketed his DDD and grabbed the extra drink that his brother had offered to him in his absence.“Well Levi ended up taking Em home and said I could have his drink! And seeing as Mammons slipped off somewhere I guess there’s no argument.” he smirked innocently as he downed the entire tankard in one enthusiastic gulp.

From the way Levi had excused himself and followed after Em to the restroom earlier, Beelzebub knew that something had happened, from the moment her and Asmodeus had joined them there was an odd, tense and awkward atmosphere and he couldn’t help but notice she seemed to be bottling something up with a forced carefree facade.

The flirty demon across from him was far gone and his glazed eyes were struggling to remain open as he swayed, the usual subtle playful smirk was now a full on devilish grin. “Oh really? Ugh it’s a shame he didn’t stay for at least one drink..who knows what they might have gotten up to tonight with a bit of...confidence~”

The crimson haired glutton roared with laughter knowing at how timid Levi was when it came to that sort of thing, plus he had to protect his brother's deepest secret at all costs. But that didn’t mean he couldn’t pick Asmodeus’ brain a little to help his shut-in brother out. “Say Asmo? What did you mean earlier when you said that no wonder Em was so happy?”

Asmo scoffed and pouted like an imp, his lips loosened from the alcoholic nectar.“Oh? Come on now it’s sooooo obvious!” he giggled, feeling rather proud of himself.“I’ve been TRYING to get those two to get it on for _months_ now and it might finally happen~”

The larger brother tittered, trying to remain calm and collected as he pried further. “I think we all noticed..your teasing hasn’t exactly been subtle. But why, why might it happen?”

“Oh Beel come on! Does being the Avatar of Gluttony mean your brain was replaced by all the pudding you eat? Em has a CRUSH on Levi!”

Beelzebub failed to hide the large grin spreading across his face, after how Em had acted in that same spot a few weeks ago when asked about dating his brother; plus Asmodeus’ tone right now, it was confirmation to him. Of course you didn’t have to be a rocket scientist if you paid attention to the human girls' mannerisms and Asmodeus was a fantastic keeper of secrets...but only when he was sober, when the Avatar of Lust had passed his low tolerance he became quite the gossip demon.

The glutton saw his chance and took it, pushing his remaining horn of Demonus towards his lighter framed brother suggestively, if he wanted clear and concise answers he was going to have to get him even more drunk. “Are you sure..? You think everyone has a crush on someone. Hell! You think Diavolo has a thing for Lucifer! What makes you so certain? About Em, I mean.”

“Have you seen the way she looks at him? Classic lovesick puppy stare! Plus she laughs at his stupid jokes, that aren’t even funny...the girls obviously head over heels. Oh and I’m pretty much the reason she realized it herself.” He sighed. “Honestly I’m surprised none of you have noticed. But then I guess we never expected Levi of all demons to have a secret admirer. But Diavolo totally has the hots for our brother, you could cut the sexual tension with a knife.”

“Well you underestimate me, to be honest I thought she might have had something for him myself. But I don’t really like getting in other people's business unlike you.” Beel laughed heartily. “One thing bothers me though. Why do you want those two..Em and Levi I mean.. to uhh..bake some bread together so badly?” he crossed his arms with intrigue.“There’s nothing in it for you.”

Asmodeus happily accepted the bribe and giggled at the terrible innuendo as he took several glugs of the drink, in his intoxicated state it hadn’t fully hit him that he’d just outed Ems biggest secret so carelessly.“Oh Beel...is everything food related to you?” he sighed, still rather amused at the phrase. “Well honestly? I was bored at first. I would have had her for myself had I not become so..attached to her, she really is the sweetest little thing! That and my charm power doesn’t work on her which would have made the game a lot harder” his salmon eyes narrowed. “Plus you’ve got to agree that Levi NEEDS to get laid at some point in his existence, how he hasn’t gone insane from all that pent up lust I’ll never know..unless maybe that’s why he stays in his room a lot?” 

Both brothers averted their eyes and laughed awkwardly at the insinuation before the secret spiller continued. “But at the end of the day, I want Em to be happy. She hasn’t had the best life back in the human realm and you’ve got to agree with me that they’d make an adorable couple; if a little vanilla for my tastes.” he shrugged. “And I think he could make her very happy.”

Beel remained straight faced, he wouldn’t betray Levi if his life depended on it, but Asmodeus had a way with words and was great at getting demons tongue tied, figuratively and literally. “I get that you think you’re helping Levi but what’s the big deal? You know you’ve never thought to ask if I’ve done it? I’m a virgin too y’know.” 

The caramel haired brother almost fell off his bench at the revelation.“Wait seriously? But you’ve had girlfriends!” Since their exile from the Celestial Realm the brothers had seen Beelzebub with at least 20 different demoness’, the relationships never lasted long though and perhaps that was the reason.

“Yep. I just never had the interest, the only thing that can satisfy me is food...our father made sure of that when he cursed us all. And since Belphie left it’s been getting worse” Beel suddenly turned sheepish and blushed. “But I’ll be honest, lately I’ve been wanting to get back in the dating game..I guess from having a girl around us all the time it’s made me want to give it another go? Plus...it’d be a distraction from worrying about him all the time.”

“Aww Belphie, I hope he’s having fun in the human realm, whatever place he ended up in..but wait, do you like Em too? I mean it would make sense seeing as you kissed her, which I’m quite jealous of by the way. How was it?” the lustful demon edged in closer for the juicy gossip.

“Yeah! I just can’t help but worry about him, he’s never been on his own before and..sometimes I actually sleep on his bed so I feel close to him...is that silly?” The ginger haired demon confessed before snapping out of the solemn tone. “But about Em. No. I see her as a little sister. Nothing more.” he raised an eyebrow. “What do you mean by “too” who else likes her?” and successfully dodged the question.

“Pfff come on...half the damn Devildom at this point, honestly maybe even Luci from how he protects her all the time. I of course wouldn’t turn her down if she wanted a fun night. Levi OBVIOUSLY has a thing for her” Asmodeus narrowed his pink eyes towards his beefier brother, determined to break him. “Mammon is even more obvious about it with how clingy he was.. even back when she first came here, oh and Solomon of course! Hell he even told me himself.” The hardened eyes melted into a softer tone for a moment. “No, I don’t think that's silly about Belphie. Sure he was hardly ever conscious or always stuck in the observatory but he’s my brother too and I miss him as well. I’m sure he’ll be fine, he’s probably just napping in trees or on the top of classroom tables knowing him.”

“Yeah you’re probably right..I just worry.” The ginger demon pulled a face of astonishment but it sank in almost immediately. “Wait seriously, he actually has a thing for her?

“Which one? Wait, you didn’t deny it about Levi! I’m right? He has the hots for her?”

“Solomon.” Beel remained tight-lipped, if he talked too much right now his mouth might go running off too. He wondered how Asmodeus could so easily spill someone else's secret, the thought of betraying his older brother in the same manner caused his stomach to ache.Levi confiding in him and talking with him about his feelings for the human girl had created a special bond that he’d been missing for months now and he would do anything to maintain that brotherly connection.

Asmodeus pulled a face. “Beel I know you know and I know Levi likes her, look who you’re talking to. Do I have to remind you of my powers as the Avatar of _LUST_ for Mephistos sake? Flawless skin, a gorgeous smile, the ability to charm humans and demons, an absolute master of pleasure and that last little detail..what was it again? Oh yes... I HAVE EYES! Sometimes I think you all underestimate me to be as stupid as Mammon. I’m not just a pretty face you know!” he threw his hands up in the air dramatically and slammed them back down with a little bit of force, clicking his fingernails nonchalantly.”No but seriously, Levi freaking _reeks_ of lust for the poor girl, I can smell him a mile off.”

“So uhhh what was that about Solomon?” the gluttonous brother bit down on his tongue and tried to steer the subject back from their Otaku sibling. 

“Ugh **FINE**! I see you’ve been taking avoidance lessons from Levi...” Asmo rolled his eyes, he clearly wasn’t going to get anything out of Beel. Due to the amount of calories he ate per day Beelzebub did not get drunk very easily and if he were to keep up with his brother's pace tonight then it would mean a fate worse than death in the morning. However he was starting to sway in his seat. “I can’t remember the entire conversation, we were drinking in The Fall that much I remember. Anyway I outright came on to the poor guy and he rejected me, quite harshly I should add and he told me flat out that he had a thing for her.” 

“So you went drinking with Solomon? In The Fall? When?” This was news to Beel and his thoughts flashed back to the talk with Levi and Mammon in the group retreat.

Asmodeus rubbed his temple, his brother was asking far too many questions and Asmo himself was beginning to feel the effects of far too much Demonus as his lips loosened. “One question at a time please. A few days before the trip, you know when I took Em to see Medusa? Well one thing led to another and Medusa ended up calling me later that evening, and after the talk with Em about her past, well I wasn’t going to say no to a few drinks. I haven’t cried like that in decades. Medusa and I were dancing and then I bumped into him? I mean I must have, it’s a little fuzzy but all I know was I ended up making a pact with him.”

Beel raised an eyebrow at the mention of Ems' past, but decided to ignore it. It was probably something confidential and he knew she kept things close to her chest. However it did bother him a little about why Asmodeus had a pact with the sorcerer and when it had happened, Beel was surprised his gossip of a brother hadn’t screamed down the House when it had happened.“Was there a reason for the pact? I know you’ve made silly demands in exchange for them in the past but..I wouldn’t have thought Solomon was one to play along..” 

The champagne haired sibling scratched his chin with his blue and pink nails in deep thought, looking slightly pained as if he had a headache.“You know I can’t remember? Wow it must have been a good night haha! Really all I recall was laughing with him and his buddies.I asked him if he wanted to slip off somewhere for some fun and that's when he told me never in a million years, which I laughed at and told him I could very easily wait for him; and then Em somehow came up in conversation and he got all serious and mentioned wanting to protect her from Levi I think? I asked if he was jealous and he denied it but said there was no competition with a demon...whatever that meant? Should I be offended?”

“Solomon wants to protect Em from..Levi? That doesn’t make any sense…” Beelzebub exhaled deeply and stared into the empty tankards around him, trying to make sense of his brothers story. “Are you sure he said Levi? Not Lucifer or something?” 

The lustful demon grew impatient and sighed once more whilst scratching his head. “I don’t even know if he said Levi to be honest with you, it’s all fuzzy… but I’ve told you everything I remember, if anything else comes back to me I’ll tell you okay? Although I’m really not sure why it’s ANY of your business... “ 

Asmodeus ran his nails through his hair, he was getting a bit bored of the lack of information. “Fine so you won’t tell me if Levi likes her but...do we know what he’s giving her for her birthday at the very least?”  
  
Beel shrugged. “Nope, not a clue. I haven’t asked him about it but I’m sure it’ll be animé or something.”

“Ugh, yeah probably. Our brother never really was the romantic type was he.” The smaller brother laughed and glanced over at the bar. “I think I’ll have one more drink and that’s me done”.

* * *

Ems POV 

_“Good morning beautiful”_

_Em felt a wet sensation on her forehead and shot her aquamarine eyes open in surprise. Leaning over her was a mature looking violet haired man with flowy bangs and short sides. He gazed affectionately at her with his burning honey coloured eyes and his arms slowly enveloped her passionately. “I love you so much”. That all familiar salty sweet scent washed over her._

“ _I love you too, Levi.” She felt on top of the world this morning, his well built body pressed against her as they lay next to eachother, and it was still a surprise at how fast her heart was beating from hearing that silky voice in her ear, despite the fact they’d been together for so many years. She lifted her head upwards and planted an eager kiss on his lips before giggling into his mouth and mumbling.”Someones in a good mood..”_

_BZZT BZZT_

_The ivory skinned man pulled away, beaming at her with a toothy grin and stroked her cheek. “Why wouldn’t I be? I have an amazing wife and two adorable kids...oh but I don’t want to wake them up yet, so turn off your alarm.” Levi laughed and turned the phone off before kissing Em again, he embraced her and started moving slowly down her neck, speaking in a teasing tone as he pulled the cover over them. “I want you all to myself for a bit longer this morning...”_

_BZZT BZZT_

_Ugh I thought he turned it off…_

_BZZT BZZT_

“Levi...?” The raven haired girl scrunched her eyes open, everything felt heavier today and the room around her slowly came into focus along with the incessant buzzing sound vibrating against her dresser. She drowsily peered around the room and felt a twinge in her chest looking at the empty spot next to her in the bed, and it slowly dawned on her that it had been nothing but a heated dream.

_Of course it wasn't real..._

She blushed recalling the feeling of his arms around her, the wetness of his lips and that salty scent engulfing her entire being. Instinctively she threw her hand to her neck and traced the ghost of where he had been sensually kissing her. “Holy hell…” 

_I could definitely do with a cold shower after that._

_It’s a good thing Satan and Lucifer didn’t sleep here last night, there’d be no way to explain myself._

_Ugh Satan and Lucifer...right that whole thing. I hope they switch back soon._

BZZT BZZT

Snapping out of it she scooped the DDD up clumsily and blindly pressed the screen. Upon her vision clearing she saw a familiar name pop up on her notifications. He’d left two messages during the evening and was already online.

_I hope he’s been to sleep.._

_I’ve dreamt about him before but..not like that._

Em: Good morning! I wasn’t sick \ (•◡•) /

Em: But thank you for the kind gesture

Em: I’m a little confused how I got to bed though?

Leviathan: Good morning ^^ I hope you’re okay after last night

Leviathan: You fell asleep after feeling my hair up and Mammon had to practically tear you off me ;)

Em: ^^;; oh

Em: You’re never gonna forget that are you :|

Em: I was drunk! I didn’t know what I was saying or doing LOL

Leviathan: Yeah I know ^^

Leviathan: To be honest it actually felt kinda nice…

Leviathan: I wouldn’t mind if you did it again. ⚆ _ ⚆

Leviathan: When you’re drunk I mean LOL

She raised an eyebrow, feeling her heart soar.

Leviathan: ANYWAY. How are you feeling?

Em: Oh don’t worry I’m fine! A little bit of a headache but it’ll pass ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Em: I had a nice dream to make up for it though

Leviathan: Oh really? What was it about, if you don’t mind me asking

Em scoffed whilst talking down to the screen, rolling her eyes at herself.“Oh you know, me and you were married with kids and things were getting rather… As IF I could ever tell you that!” her ears burned at the thought of typing something so private and inappropriate, but she had to tell him something.

Em: I was married ^^;;

Leviathan: Really? Let me guess 808 was your husbando right? ;)

Em: LOL how did you know!

Leviathan: Is that a serious question lololol

_Time to change the subject!_

Em: So are you still up for lunch?

Em: Or did you think you could worm your way out it ಠ_ಠ

Leviathan: Hah no way! I’m actually looking forward to it

Em: No need to lie to me (ᵔᴥᵔ)

Leviathan: I’m not! I really am! :(

Leviathan: But are you sure you still want to go? Like I said last night I understand if you’d rather not ^^

Em: AH AH! I thought you just said you were looking forward to it! (¬‿¬)

Em: Really I’m fine! Talking to you last night really helped so thank you

Em: Anyway I’ll see you at breakfast ^^

Leviathan: Ah actually I’m gonna pass. I really can’t be bothered dealing with those two today and I’m still kind of tired..

Leviathan: Feel free to message me though, we still need to decide on a meeting place etc

Em: LOL tbh I don’t blame you, if I didn’t have to apologize to Asmo I think I’d skip too

Em: I’ll change at the academy after classes and then come and knock on your door, so be ready ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

Leviathan: Okey dokey :)

Leviathan: Oh and don’t be so hard on yourself about Asmo, he doesn’t really take things to heart.

Em: Oh okay then! Thank you... I'll let you get back to sleep now

Em: I’ll see you later! ^^

Leviathan:Have fun at breakfast ;)

She stared down wistfully at his profile picture, he still hadn’t changed it from all those months ago; when she first added him Em had laughed at the fact his picture was a Flamesaur, the final form of Burnewt. And now, it was almost like they were fated to be together, which was ridiculous given his incredible age, but it was a nice thought given all of their common interests.

“Levi..if I were to tell you how I felt about you, would you think I was a silly human girl?” The smitten human smiled sombrely at the screen as if it were somehow going to respond to the question, and then her phone buzzed in her hand. Ems heart nearly gave out thinking it was him again.

Asmodeus: Are you decent?

Asmodeus: I’m coming either way, this is your warning ~

Em: Huh o.O

She didn’t even have time to process that message before there was a playful giggle coming from behind her door and several knocks. The sleepy woman opened the door to be tackled by Asmodeus who had far too much energy considering he and Beelzebub hadn’t come home until the early hours of that morning.

Upon waking up all his memories came flooding back to him and he’d realized his slip up, of course he felt terrible about it and he’d try to get ahold of Beelzebub before he went around telling anyone else what was said but, time was not on his side and he had to warn Em.

“Now I know what you’re thinking, it’s early and breakfast isn’t for another hour! But I came to give you some advice for your date today...I know for a fact I won’t be able to get a word in with my idiot brother's drama~” The caramel haired demon smiled warmly at her and held out a small facial kit, praying she wouldn’t think it was a bribe. Okay, maybe it kind of was. “Don’t refuse it or you’ll break my heart.” 

“Oh no...Asmo...thank you.” Em bit her lip feeling incredibly guilty, the demon brother raised an eyebrow but smiled at her as she accepted, but then she sat on the bed and patted the spot next to her.

“Oooh Em I know I said don’t refuse, but we really shouldn't be doing something like this~” he teased. “What would Levi think~”

She laughed innocently and slapped him playfully on the arm before turning serious all of a sudden. “No.. I wanted to apologize for my behaviour last night, I didn’t mean to snap at you. I just didn’t want to ruin the evening and well, I ended up doing exactly that..again because I was bottling up how I felt. Please accept my sincerest apologies.” Em looked at him with a guilt ridden expression.

Asmodeus was shocked for a moment and then broke the tension with a giggle. “Oh Em! You sound like an email from a company haha there’s no need to be so formal sweetheart!” he threw his arms around her, squeezing tightly. “Apology accepted, although you really didn’t need to..you were upset and it’s my bad for not dropping the subject sooner.”  
  
“No please, it’s my fault. You did nothing wrong.” Em sighed. “I really need to stop bottling things up..don’t I?” she winced as Asmodeus pulled out of the hug.

“Yeah you really do, do you talk to Levi about these things?” He asked, inquisitively. When was a good moment to tell her? He certainly didn’t want to sour the mood today, or ruin the apology they’d just traded.

“Well last night I told him about the therapy and stuff..” Her eyes widened as the talk refreshed her memory. “And..I’m not going to yell at you or anything but, did you tell Levi about my father?”

The flirty demon looked a little offended at that accusation. “Huh? Of course not. I know I’m not the best at this sort of thing but I’d never go blabbing something so private. Why?” he winced at his own words, last night he’d done just that.

“Well last night, he seemed to know that I don’t speak to my father. And I can’t remember telling him? These sort of things I keep a very close eye on myself to not talk about...but maybe I did tell him? I don’t know, maybe I’m overthinking things.” She pursed her lips in deep thought and sighed, feeling a little guilty for accusing Asmodeus of spilling her secrets.“Well anyway, that’s all I wanted to say regarding that...so what advice did you have for me?”

It wasn’t the right moment, especially with how stressed and upset she’d be right now with the demon elder situation, he’d find another time to tell her.“I just want you to have fun today Em, be yourself around him like usual. But and this is very important, make eye contact with him, flirt a little and report back everything to me. I’m PRETTY sure that he likes you, but Levi has always been rather...eccentric.” Asmo huffed and a devilish grin appeared. “I know you don’t like Solomon, but maybe bring him up if you can and then gauge his reaction; Levi is the Avatar of Envy hun, if he gets jealous you’ll know about it.”

“Ugh...this sounds like I’m...observing him or something” she grimaced. “But okay, I’ll t-try…wait. Asmo, how do I flirt?”

It took everything he had to not slap his face, the girl was as oblivious as you could get. “Touch him” Em’s complexion immediately switched to red and Asmo laughed” Not like that! Well not in public.” he winked and giggled as Em shrunk into her shirt even more. “Compliment him and touch his arm, stroke his shoulder or something, oh and if he’s nervous around you that’s a good sign.” Asmo paused. “Oh but, Levi is always nervous so maybe that wouldn’t count with him.”

She exhaled slowly, taking in the advice and gulped. “O-okay. I’ll do my best. T-touch him, make eye contact and compliment him.” After uttering those words out loud Em suddenly threw her hands over her face. “I’m not sure I can do this Asmo...won’t he know what I’m trying to do?”

Asmodeus raised an eyebrow. “Em...ask yourself that again and then remember who we’re talking about. I told you before, Levi is as dumb as a rock when it comes to this sort of thing. Oh! But don’t over do it with those methods or even he might start to think somethings up, okay? Anyway have fun!” He abruptly started laughing and took note of her appearance, she was still wearing the same outfit as yesterday. “Did you sleep in your uniform last night? I should probably let you get dressed... well breakfast is soon so I guess I'll wait here whilst you change~”

The pair hurried downstairs towards the dining hall, Em thankfully had time to shower and change her uniform for the spare set whilst Asmodeus waited outside of her room, she loved him like a brother but the man was still a demon at heart and in nature; and there had been a few times where he’d tried peeking to get an r-rated view of her womanly figure she liked to hide with baggy clothes.Those attempts had earned him the right of being promptly kicked out and the door was double locked on the off chance Asmo gave into those deep rooted urges again.

Mammon was the first to greet them, he was a little quieter than usual which sparked a little concern from Em. The white haired brother could usually be heard from the top of the stairs all the way down the vast corridor, complaining or arguing with someone about something. But today he simply waved and exchanged a few words with them. Satan was sitting at the table with Beelzebub and Lucifer **,** who seemed to be ruffling his blonde hair in frustration.

Upon hearing the trio's footsteps **Lucifer** perked his head up and narrowed his green eyes. “Where’s Leviathan?” he groaned in contempt and sighed defeatedly. “Let me guess... he’s not coming this morning?”

The others grimaced and said nothing but Em spoke up. “Levi’s a little tired from last night and told me he was getting a bit more sleep this morning” she hoped she hadn’t just landed him in trouble but the oldest brother just sighed again in response, it wasn’t exactly like he had his menacing aura or any of the brothers respected him in this form; Lucifer felt like a laughing stock and he wasn’t used to it.

Satan rolled his eyes at the mention of Levi skipping out, it sounded like he was avoiding him or being petty. "Tsk, typical." he muttered under his breath. Em hadn't noticed as her attention was more drawn towards Lucifer scowling more than usual, but also looking dejected as well as how oddly quiet Mammon was being today.

_Lucifer looks a little down today too, I hope everything's okay with him and Mammon…_

Beel pulled up a chair next to him and gestured for Em to sit, he wouldn’t say anything to her until after today, Asmodeus looked over at him with a worried expression on his face. “Mornin’, are you feeling better after last night? I was worried you were gonna drink me of all demons under the table hah!” At the mention of heavy drinking Lucifer narrowed his eyes and chimed in with an innocent looking smile.

“Oh you were drinking last night?” He shot his eyes over to Mammon who was still oddly silent. “By any chance did you do something stupid and get drunk again?” The Avatar of Greed seemed to be in his own little world this morning, which didn’t help Lucifer's temper. “ **MAMMON! ANSWER ME WHEN I’M TALKING TO YOU!”** Everyone around the table flinched and the table shook at the speed of Mammon getting up.

“Sorry Lucifer! I was uhh in my own lil’ realm there heh.” Mammon grabbed a few handfuls of meat from the serving dish and started eating at a record speed that could’ve easily rivalled Beelzebub. “Ya feelin’ any better today Em?” he beamed at her, doing his best not to remember his little breakdown the previous evening, thankful that Levi had messaged him that he’d be cutting his bangs again and then having a well deserved sleep.

The raven haired girl lifted her head up and cringed. “U-uhhh yeah, sort of. How about you, Mammon? I didn’t get a chance to say goodnight before I fell asleep…Oh! D-did you...have a good night with..your friend?”

Everyone raised an eyebrow and became rather intrigued in the conversation, Satan and Lucifer weren’t aware that Mammon had a new confidant. “Oh not again Mammon...is it another witch? How many times must we warn you that they’re bad news!” The oldest brother rolled his temporarily emerald eyes. “I’m not giving you any more of your allowance for those women to just use you..” He folded his arms. “And you still haven’t answered my question. What stupid thing did you do last night? You’re not normally this quiet.”

“There’s nothin’ to worry about alright? Nothin’ happened…” The silver haired demon mumbled, he really didn’t want to talk about this first thing in the morning. Especially not in front of Em. “Can we just drop it? I’m hungover as hell and I’ve gotta study for an upcomin’ exam.” He started to make his way over to the kitchen demons where they’d laid out some breakfast items.

Lucifer stormed over to Mammon and slammed his hand down on the counter top, making the kitchen demons slide back into hiding. “No I will not drop it. You’re a mess Mammon! It doesn’t surprise me at all that you were drinking last night but now you are starting to become a bad influence on Em!” 

“How is Em drinkin’ MY FAULT? She’s a grown ass woman Lucifer!” The second oldest brother rolled his azure eyes and blindly grabbed a few pieces of food as he marched towards the door. “I ain’t even staying to listen to this. Ya need to stop thinking you can control everyone!” Mammon stopped for a moment and faced his human friend. “Em I’ll see ya later, I’m gonna study by myself today.”

“O-okay- bu-”

“ **MAMMON WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU’RE GOING?** **I AM TALKING TO YOU!** **MAMMON! DON’T YOU EVEN THINK OF SKIPPING YOUR CLASSES!** ” The oldest brother was furious, to be spoken to like that in front of everyone was unheard of, and it made him even angrier that no one seemed to be treating him with respect. He grabbed his paper and stormed off after his younger brother leaving the remainder of the party in shock. “ **GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!”**

The other residents launched themselves off their seats and stood craning their necks into the corridor, Lucifer grabbed hold of Mammon by the arm and everyone knew things were about to go down. “ **Get.back.in.there. NOW!”**

Mammon didn’t even turn around and ripped his arm away from Lucifer's weak grasp, it was useless to think he could compete in strength with the second most powerful brother right now. “I ain’t goin’ back in there so we can pretend to play happy families.” he snickered. “Besides, ya ain’t scarin’ anyone like that, I can hear Satan's voice crackin’ when ya try to do your big scary voice. Just let me go..don’t make me hurt ya.”

The vein that had been slowly growing on the prideful demon's forehead finally burst and he yanked his younger brother around with all his might, bringing him to his field of vision as Lucifer glared up at him. **“And what exactly do you mean by that hm? Everything I do I do it for all of you! You’re a spineless moron, a thief and a coward** ! I remember how you clung to that pillar in the tomb, you would’ve quite happily let her die if it meant saving your own hide. You’ve been **nothing but trouble** since we fell, you steal, you lie and you cheat and my patience is running out with all of you!”

The Avatar of Greed rolled his eyes, nothing would cut into him. He’d heard all of these lines before from his many ex-girlfriends.“Yeah yeah, I’m a coward..I’m all those things. But how in Devildom is anything you do for our benefit? You don’t act like a brother Lucifer...not anymore, the way ya whisper into Diavolo’s ear all the time and disappear for days, all those secrets ya can’t trust your own brothers with.. we’re all damn terrified of ya, and even though ya treat us like shit and punish us for the smallest things somehow I still love ya! And sure, I may have clung to that pillar, but at least I never tried to _KILL_ Em!”

The human girl couldn’t listen anymore, but she knew better than to come between the two unless she had a deathwish. She pat Beelzebub and Satan on the shoulder, hoping there was some way to diffuse the situation right now. “Guys, can’t one of you..I don’t know do something? I feel like things are about to get violent..” she pointed at the growing aura seeping out of Mammon, since her first day Em had never seen Mammon this angry.

Thankfully the silver haired demon didn’t give Lucifer another opening to rip into him again, he pushed him to the side and ran down the corridor at full speed. Em immediately wrestled her way through the brothers who had shielded her subconsciously but Lucifer snapped his head towards her, his eyes burning with anger it seemed he was barely able to hold in. “Leave him alone, he’s not in control of himself right now.” With those few words he picked his newspaper back up off the floor and strode in the opposite direction, everyone watched feeling helpless as he disappeared out of view. It was not a good idea for any of them to follow after either of the demons right now. Lucifer would swat them like a fly and there was a very good reason that Mammon was the second most powerful brother.

“Well...that was eventful.” Asmodeus huffed and relaxed his shoulders as soon as his fiery tempered brother was out of sight. “I don’t think I’ve seen Lucifer that angry in a lonnnnnng time~”

Beel and Satan also relaxed themselves and lowered their guard, all feeling the tension in the air, hanging over them like a spiked chandelier about to impale them. “Well, you should all probably get to your lessons..hopefully Mammon will turn up sooner or later.” Satan ushered everyone to finish their food post hate, they were already running late. However he was still keeping himself concealed away in his room on self study whilst they waited for the body-switch curse to wear off.

Em chewed on her lip in frustration, but ultimately there was nothing she could do.“Sorry..I’m just a bit concerned about them.. Maybe I should go find Mammon.”

_I should go after him...Lucifer probably needs to cool off._

_Or I could text Levi?_

“Don’t worry Em, he’s probably just hungover.” Satan said in a reassuring tone, but even he was concerned now, Mammon and Lucifer had had arguments many times but that was downright hostile. Perhaps he shouldn’t have pushed his oldest brothers buttons so much about the body switching.

“Yeah! Lu-Satan’s right! Or he’s tired after spending the evening with that demoness, she looked like a wild one~” Asmodeus giggled, hoping she wouldn’t dwell on it too much. He wanted her to have as little stress as possible today but after that heated stand off it was a wasted wish.

“Y-yeah you’re probably right…” she frowned.

_I’ll ask Levi later if he knows why Mammon’s being weird. Something must have happened after I fell asleep last night._

* * *

“I can’t take this anymore..” Only a few hours had passed and Em had found herself staring out the classroom window, unable to focus at all on her studying, the teacher or any of the questions she was asked. After a short debate in her mind she stood up and excused herself, telling the teacher she felt under the weather and would continue her studies from home today. As soon as he gave her the all clear and a small lecture on attendance the small girl ran as fast as she could down the hall and grabbed her phone, it would be time to meet Levi shortly.

She stared down at the chat screen regretfully.

_I’m sorry Levi… Mammon is more important right now._

Em: Hey...I don’t know if any of the others told you what happened at breakfast but Mammon and Lucifer had a huge argument and I’m worried. 

_Ugh I really hope he doesn’t think I’m doing this on purpose._

Em: I was looking forward to today but are we okay to take a rain check on things? I need to find Mammon, he was pretty upset earlier and acting a bit weird.

Em: I’m really sorry! Please don’t hate me.

It didn’t take long for a response and Em winced as she saw Levi’s name turn green, those three dots taunting her as her mind jumped to all sorts of conclusions.

Leviathan: What happened at breakfast? No-one's told me anything but I guess there’s no surprise there ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Leviathan: You’re not hurt are you? And don’t worry about the café, we can go anytime ^^

Leviathan: But I’m not letting you look for him alone, if it’s as bad as you say then Mammon might lash out on you and his demon power is pretty damn terrifying. Meet me at the front gates of the House in ten minutes and we’ll look together.

Em: I’m not hurt don’t worry, it didn’t get physical but...it was heading there I think.

Em: Are you sure you don’t mind? I’d probably be fine by myself and I’d hate to bother you after just having to cancel on our lunch together.

Leviathan: Of course I don’t mind. I’ve just finished getting ready so head on over, I’ll be as quick as demonly possible!

Em: Thank you for this T_T

She checked her messages for any response from Mammon, Em had texted him as soon as she’d sat down in class, hoping that he’d read it and join her but no such luck. He hadn’t even been online by the looks of it. Satan, Beel and Asmo hadn’t seen hide or hair of him either, but they told her they’d keep an eye out. 

_Should I even bother asking Lucifer? Probably not…_

_Right, time to go meet Levi. I hope Mammon’s okay and he’s just moping around somewhere._

* * *

Levi looked down at his DDD and sighed, pinching his nose. Of course something like this would happen, he chuckled to himself for thinking he had a chance with her and maybe this whole thing was just Em changing her mind about wanting to be seen with someone like him outside of the safety and comfort of the house.

He glanced over at the bathroom mirror at his newly styled bangs and scanned his outfit, he’d put in a little more effort than usual today for the outing but now that was a waste. “I don’t really have time to get changed, oh well I guess…” 

_Stop being so selfish, Em wouldn’t joke about this sort of thing._

_Your brother is possibly missing and it sounds like shit went down at breakfast and here you are feeling resentful and disappointed that you can’t go and eat a normal lunch with someone who will probably only ever see you as a friend…_

“Once again, I’m such an idiot.” He whined to himself and shook the negative thoughts out of his head, Em needed him to be focused right now, especially if she was telling the truth and hadn’t asked Mammon to be her scapegoat. But Levi felt a pang of guilt in his chest for thinking his brother who promised the previous night that he wouldn’t get in the way today had helped his best friend do exactly that on purpose. 

_Whatever, I’ll try texting him on the way._

Leviathan: What the hell happened at breakfast?

Leviathan: Em said you and Lucifer got into a fight?

Mammon’s avatar remained dark and there was no response. Levi scrolled through his rather small contact list and saw that his usually social brother had not spoken in any of their shared chats since around 8pm last night. It looked as if Em had indeed been telling the truth, which set him at ease slightly, but now he really was worried. Mammon didn’t tend to go missing after a spat with Lucifer so this must have been more than their usual breakfast banter.

He ruffled his lilac hair in frustration and made his way out of the house, where Em was waiting patiently against the gate. Her eyes lit up as soon as she caught sight of him and her heart ached, he’d gotten dressed up for the occasion and cleaned up rather nicely with his bangs freshly trimmed, a fitted navy blue shirt with jeans and Beel had let him borrow some of his best cologne as an apology for not keeping Em’s drinking in check. “S-sorry, I look weird don’t I..there wasn’t really any time to change.”

Em pinched her arm to snap herself out of her stupor and summoned all of her inner confidence, she could still put the advice Asmodeus had given her to good use.. “Actually I think you look h-handsome.” She forced her eyes to stay open and gauge his response. “I’m really sorry about lunch…” Now she felt even worse for cancelling on him as it looked like he’d gone through quite a bit of effort. Well it was his first outing with a friend.

_H-handsome? m-me?_

_She must just be saying that because she feels bad... but maybe I could..tell her how she looks too._

Levi.exe had stopped responding, his eyes grew to the size of dinner plates and steam could almost be seen emanating from his head, the initial instinct was to burn crimson from head to toe and hide his face, but he persevered and laughed nervously whilst holding the back of his head. “O-oh you think? T-t-thanks.” The bashful otaku took a deep breath, now was his chance to reciprocate the compliment as he squirmed where he stood, unfortunately not confident enough to keep eye contact as he said it. “I wanted to say you look really c-cute.”

Em played with her hair, forgetting it wasn't as long as it used to be. “In my uniform? I mean I wear it everyday...but thanks!” She laughed but furrowed her brow, remembering that this wasn’t really the best time for a flirting session. “R-right we need to find Mammon, is there anywhere he goes when he’s upset?” 

_Now she thinks I'm an idiot..._

“He doesn’t really get upset..normally he just laughs everything off.”

_Except last night._

Levi scratched his chin and gestured for them to start walking. “He might just be wandering the streets, or maybe he’s in Hell's Kitchen hiding away?” The most obvious place to look would be his brothers favourite place to drink, the shut in just hoped Mammon wasn’t drinking himself stupider, that would cause even more issues when they brought him back to the house if Lucifer caught wind of irresponsible consumption instead of attending classes. “Come on, we’ll go there first, Mammon isn’t really one to have secret crying spots.”

Em sighed heavily, already struggling with the stress from the past few days on her shoulders. “Y-yeah you’re probably right about that…”

“Hey, whats up? We’ll find him y’know! Sooner or later he’d come skulking back to the house anyway…” He gingerly put his hand on her shoulder to comfort her, which caused her to jump a little.

“S-sorry..I’m just so stressed, and worried. I’ve never seen him that angry before so it was kind of a shock. And I can’t help but feel like it’s my fault somehow…”

“How would it be your fault? Ugh..I knew I should’ve just come to breakfast this morning, honestly I just took the opportunity whilst Lucifer was powerless to force us to do anything.” 

“Well Lucifer outright said that Mammon was becoming a bad influence on me...if I had controlled my drinking last night then maybe this wouldn’t have happened.” She recounted the events of breakfast as they hit the second layer of the Devildom, demons couldn’t help but stare at the odd couple, the purple haired one looked oddly familiar to a lot of them but they couldn’t place him and it was even more strange for someone dressed so formally to be sniffing around a human, more than happy to be walking side by side as equals. A lot of them twisted their faces in disgust, it looked like a date between a human and a demon.

_Jeez no wonder he ran away, he is DEAD when Lucifer gets his body back…_

He took a few moments to answer her as he soaked in what had happened in his absence, but he smiled fondly at her. “It’s not your fault at all, and for once I agree with Mammon. You’re a grown woman, if you want to drink then that’s your choice..and...now I kind of feel like I overstepped last night, coming to get you...“ Levi winced. “It’s just I..I care about you, I meant what I said last night. You’re my best friend and I love yo-your company, but maybe I’m too clingy? I just worry about you, and if anything happened to you..” he trailed off.

_If anything happened to you, I would tear the three realms apart myself._

Em had to place a hand on her chest at those sweet words to stop herself from getting all choked up, and from feeling a tightening grip around her heart. For someone who said they weren’t good with words, he always seemed to know exactly what to say.“Levi...if anyone's clingy here it’s me, I love your company too and whenever I’m not with you, I find myself missing you..” she confessed as she shrunk into her uniform, not knowing how to look him in the eyes after those words had left her lips. "I was actually really happy to see you last night, and if you hadn't turned up then I probably would've done something stupid." She chewed nervously on her nails, hoping he wouldn’t pry on what any of that meant, but surprisingly he giggled and stared down at her.

“I feel the same way..” Leviathan blushed and held the back of his neck bashfully. “And I hope this doesn’t come off creepy but this morning when I skipped breakfast and said it was to get some sleep, well..I couldn’t. And to be honest I was bored without you around.” He cleared his throat as they reached their destination and pushed the door to the bar open. “A-anyway we’re here.” 

_Thank Mephisto..I was so close to confessing right there._

_That would have been terrible timing._

As soon as they stepped foot into the premises they heard shouting and it sounded like someone was having a heated argument, Em and Levi squeezed into a bustling crowd of drunks that had formed around the far end table, and an all too familiar slurring voice shouted at the top of its lungs.

“WHAT DYA MEAN?! I WAS SITTIN’ MINDIN’ MY OWN BUSINESS! YOU’RE THE ONE WITH THE PROBLEM BUDDY!” The silver haired brother growled at a lesser demon, shoving him against the wall. **“If ya touch me again it’ll be the last thing you ever do, ya hear?** ” He punched through the brick, leaving a large crater in the wall next to the strangers head.

_Oh no… he’s drunk..and he’s probably the one that started it._

_"_ Mammon?" her eyes lit up at the sound of her friend and she blindly rushed further in.

Levi sighed but ran protectively in front of Em, splaying his arms out to barricade her from any fallout. The otaku scanned his brother's clothes and yep, there it was; a wallet he knew his brother wasn’t the owner of hung out of his jeans pocket, looking like it had been shoved in clumsily and swiftly.

The black haired demon shuddered with anger and fear, he had placed his wallet down on the table for just a few seconds whilst he ordered his friends some drinks and had seen a hand swipe it from the corner of his eyes. He’d had a few drinks sure, but he wasn’t an idiot and knew a thief when he saw one; even if they happened to be the second most powerful brother in the Devildom. “You think you’re so tough don’t you?” He spat out in disgust. “Just because you’re one of those stuck up brothers doesn’t mean you can go around and do whatever you want! You STOLE my wallet, I even saw you!” The drunk flashed his orange eyes towards the bar staff. “CHECK HIS POCKETS, GO ON, HE’S A THIEF!”

“Ehhh? Watch what yer sayin! Sides’ you’re the one who bumped into me first!” Mammon shrugged whilst the crowd sneered at him, all eyes on his pockets now. The bar staff just rolled their eyes, it had been a few years since something like this had happened on this scale but they weren’t shocked or surprised at all, especially at the tenacity of Mammons drinking today.

“I’ve got a better idea! Let’s tear his arms off, he can’t steal anything without hands!” One member of the crowd cheered and the horde started to close in on the Avatar of Greed, who sweat dropped nervously, he really hadn’t thought this through.

Em gripped Levi’s arm and tugged on his shirt, whispering into his ear. “ _Levi I already know he’s stolen something, but I really think you should help him...I’m worried they’re going to follow through with that threat._ ” He tilted his head to face her and frowned. 

_“I’m not sure how I can help, my first idea was to bring my tail out and slide the wallet back in that asshole's pocket or on the floor but everyone's watching…”_ If it were him being mobbed right now Levi knew that any of his brothers would come to his aid, they might not have always gotten along but they all looked out for one another and had each other's backs, if you insulted or offended one brother, you had offended them all.

_I’m not confident enough to help!_

The human girl made her decision and pushed past Levi sensing his hesitation. She threw herself in front of Mammon cowering slightly but stood her ground. “You won’t touch him!” Maybe a name drop would suffice as a threat. “I happen to know Lord Diavolo personally, and if you do anything to my friend he will..he’ll punish you! All of you!” 

“Move out of the way _bitch_ , you really think a pathetic display like that will scare us off? Oh no a cute human girl, how terrifying!” A large demon with green hair laughed in a taunting manner as he grabbed Ems arm, pulling her towards the horde. “It’s Diavolo’s fault creatures like you are here in the first place, maybe we should rearrange that pretty face and send you packing back to where you came from.” The other demons rubbed their hands gleefully at the suggestion, this was starting to become a rather fun outing for them.

"L-let go of me! STOP!" She cried out but no-one cared, Mammon was being dragged into the mob as well and Levi was still a frozen statue.

_Em… no!_

_GET YOUR HANDS OFF HER!_

Hearing her cry out in terror caused something inside Leviathan to snap, he growled like an animal and his horns and tail instantly sprouted out, the dark amethyst scales pierced through his skin as he stepped forward. **“Don’t you dare touch her, or my brother.”** His eyes burned into the crowd menacingly and he wrapped his tail around Ems waist snatching her back out of their grip with ease. In an instant a few of the rowdier members turned on Levi and lunged towards him, he uncoiled Em quickly and swept his tail across the floor under them, knocking several of them onto their feet.

Even Mammon was impressed at his usual scared and cowardly brother's actions, but he knew exactly what had caused Levi to bring out his powers. He sprang up and tackled a few of the demons, and Em watched as the two siblings made quick work of them.

_Heh, I'm beginning to remember how hard I fought in the war..._

_It's all coming back to me now._

_This is too easy, a bit like being over-geared for a raid._

A few headbutts from the silver haired demon, doubled with a clawed jab from his shut-in sibling as they teamed up, meant very few enemies remained standing.

The black haired demon who had first started on Mammon saw an opening and punched Levi in the jaw, sending him back against a table where he landed with a thud, the bench under him snapped like a twig and the otaku winced in pain growling as the aura around him grew darker and his eyes started to glow like lasers. “Oi no one touches my brother 'cept me!” Mammon chimed innocently and knocked the demon out cold, as revenge for hitting Leviathan.

After nodding a small thanks to his older brother The Avatar of Envy marched over to the same demon who had insulted his beloved human and glared down at him, they’d bashed their head on the cold stone floor during Levi’s tail swipe motion. His lip twisted into a hateful scowl and he held the offender by the neck, whispering into their ear as he slowly applied more pressure with his black claws and hunched over their cowering form. ** _"If_** ** _ **you** touch or even utter a word to her from your filthy tongue ever again, I’ll rip out your throat with my own teeth, are we clear?” _ **The demon's grey eyes shrank as Levi started crushing his windpipe without a second thought, all they were able to muster out was a very weak “y-yes!”

_You're lucky I have to keep up appearances with Diavolo, or I would have squashed you like a bug._

Levi locked eyes with them for a moment, scanning them for any signs of deception and giggled like a teenage boy as he let go. “Thanks for understanding!” he laughed as he stood over them, the tail still flicking from side to side. Em had watched everything from a safe distance. It seemed safe to come out of hiding now as she crawled out from under the table, still a little shocked at Levi’s heroic but slightly terrifying actions. And finally from seeing the damage to both their establishment and their paying customers the management stepped in, albeit rather reluctant to end the entertainment prematurely. 

A large bald demon who was built like a tank crossed his arms and spoke in an irritated tone. “Right I’ve seen enough here, Mammon you’re barred for a week along with your... brother? and this human girl. You’re all lucky Beelzebub is such a loyal customer or I’d up that sentence tenfold.” He stomped towards the door and held it open for them, gesturing for them to leave immediately, Mammon pouted in response and let go of the demon he was beating to a pulp, Levi blinked and recalled his horns,tail and scales feeling a little woozy from the power he used up.

“But I didn’t even get to finish my drink!” the silver haired thief whined.

“Are you for real right now?” Levi huffed whilst observing Em for any damage, other than a red claw print on her forearm it looked like she was unharmed, a little shaken up but he couldn’t blame her. “You heard the man, let’s get out of here.” He gestured for her to follow but Em threw her hand over her arm and flinched a little, stepping back from him.

_Em..? Is she...okay?_

They wasted no time as the manager grew stern, glaring at them as if he were about to haul them out of the door himself, but not before Mammon turned around to make his exit more Mammon-like. “I can’t believe ya started all that over somethin’ so small!” He reached into his jeans pocket and waved the wallet in front of the crowd of demons who glared at him with hatred. “It wasn’t even worth it, he only had five thousand grimm in it anyway!” To rub salt in their wounds further, the thieving demon pocketed the cash infront of them and hurled the wallet into the restaurant as the door slammed shut in their faces.

“Mammon, you could’ve easily gotten away with that! Why did you have to out yourself?” Levi chuckled, rolling his eyes as he glanced back over to Em, who was walking behind them with quite a bit of distance between them and her. 

"Because it was cool? The great Mammon always has to give a memorable performance!" The azure haired demon cheered as he bounced his eyes between the two and leant into his otaku brother, sensing something was not quite right.

 _“Is it just me or is Em actin’ strange? Did she get hurt?”_ He threw another concerned look over to the girl then it clicked in his mind, Levi and Em were supposed to be going for lunch today and he’d gotten in the way of that, the older sibling called back to her. “Are ya hungry Em? I’ve got some grimm so I don’t mind treating ya...both of ya! It’s the least I can do for you guys helping me out.” At the very least he could ensure they’d still get lunch together, even if it meant tagging along as the benefactor, and he could easily excuse himself so they could have a little privacy.

The girl flinched again and stared at the floor as she continued walking, passing them both. Em had never seen Leviathan in his demon form, and it had been a shock to her very core. Of course she understood and knew he wasn’t human but to see someone that was usually so calm, sweet and merciful crushing someone's windpipe, laughing in glee as they hurt others like he was enjoying it. He had whispered something in the other demons ear, and although she hadn't heard what Levi had said to him she had seen all the colour of the coal haired demons face drain. It had horrified her and inside her mind she was struggling with the image that she’d built up in her head of him. Was it all an illusion? Was Levi as cruel and vicious as he acted in Hell's Kitchen just now? He'd said such cute and innocent things to her right before his onslaught. Or should she view that act of violence as heroism in her and Mammons defence? All she knew was she didn’t want to be around either of them right now, even going back to class surrounded by tens of lesser demons sounded safer but she'd already excused herself from lessons today. “I-I'm not feeling very well so I'll head back...see you both later.”

Before either of them could stop her, the terrified girl ran with all her strength back up the hill towards the house, leaving both of them stunned and confused.

_D-did I do something...?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm ridiculously, extremely, unbelievably sorry for the long wait! Life really does not like me writing this fic apparently. I won't go into details but it was quite literally one thing after another for the past month and I was afraid of working on this if I wasn't in the right head space. 
> 
> I hope you enjoyed this chapter and I promise it won't be that long of a wait for the next one, infact I've already started on it. So a few notes on this due to it taking so long:
> 
> I wanted to expand on Ems naivety and that she hasn't fully accepted that Levi is infact a demon. (hence the steamy dream, which is a great parallel of Levi going feral later on.) There will be a little angst because she needs to come to terms with it. Oh and of course I couldn't let that date happen before the otome arc, which is just around the corner. Originally we had some cute fluff on the way to the café and who better for NTR than Solomon showing up, but I also wanted to bring Mammon a little more into focus and I guess you could say this is his arc in a way :)
> 
> And I also want to address something as we are so far into this; I don't intend to shoujo you all completely (and I have had Levi hint towards hating that trope) but please respect that this is a slow-ass burn and both of them have issues and things they need to talk about before I can let my children walk off into the sunset together, they're both delicate and they need to be pushed gently together or it would be out of character and rushed. So enjoy the journey and the fluff, there is so much more to come.


	51. The Truth

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The aftermath of the events in Hells Kitchen, we learn more about the Celestial War, more Belphie as promised.  
> (Original lore, angst, fluff)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah more angst, but I swear to Mephisto himself that it'll be the last of it for awhile.

The second and third eldest siblings could only watch as the small timid woman ran full speed up the hill, of course they wasted no time after it sunk in what was happening and chased after her.

“Em! Did they hurt you?” Levi called out to her, fear in his voice as he started to suspect that maybe the encounter had scared her. “I-I’m sorry if I caught you with my tail or something! Or is it just because they frightened you?” His questions remained unanswered.

“Where are ya goin’? I was just about to treat us to some grub! Hell knows Levi’ll need to eat after that...” Mammon said as he rushed after her, he sure as hell didn’t want his brother passing out on him again either.

Em gasped for air as she reached the top and heard their footsteps racing towards her, both brothers looking anxious from her behaviour and the announcement of suddenly feeling unwell, she clenched her fists tightly. “D-don’t follow me..t-that’s an order!” It hurt her to command them in this way but she had no choice right now, Mammon hadn’t used his demons powers on any of the drunks during the brawl but the way he also enjoyed things had sent shivers down her spine, no one should take pleasure in violence. 

They both halted in place, their feet felt like they were cemented into the cobblestone floor and were powerless as the frightened human woman faded into the distance.

“W-wait..Em!” Levi tried to move but it was no use, invisible shackles chained him where he stood. Fighting it just seemed to weaken him and cause his head to spin, if he kept resisting the pact then he would surely faint.

_What the hell?! She’s never commanded me like that before!_

He turned to his platinum haired sibling who was equally as confused as to what just happened. “D-did I hurt her? When I went full rage mode..did I do something?”

Mammon winced, he had a feeling he knew what was going through Ems mind. “Levi...Em’s never seen you like that before, I think ya scared her...we both did.”

“What? What do you mean I scared her?” He asked, frantically.

His older brother relaxed his shoulders, surrendering to the pact. “I know this side of you, hell I’ve seen ya do a lot worse on the field.And don'tcha remember those first ten years? You couldn’t control your emotions at all...especially after what happened. But I’m pretty sure Em never thought you were capable of somethin’ like that, you’re really different around her compared to before she arrived. You’ve changed a lot, we all know that but, the Levi inside Hells Kitchen just now in her eyes was a cruel, scary demon and it probably reminded her of Lucifer in the tomb..”

_Oh… that makes sense._

_What happened? I can’t really remember...it was so long ago now._

“Y-you’re right…” Levi dropped his shoulders and sighed, throwing his hand over his mouth. “Have I...just ruined things between us?” 

_Is our friendship over?_

_Now I understand how she felt when I was being an idiot._

The white haired demon threw a puzzled glance towards his brother, sensing the self esteem dropping and second guessing creeping back up. “Nah, I think she just needs a little time to come to terms with what she just saw, I’ll talk to her too! If she’ll let me, but you definitely need to reassure her that the real you isn’t who she saw today. You were just lookin’ out for her, weren’t you?”

“I..I was. I got SO angry seeing their dirty claws all over her, she looked terrified but..she still threw herself in front of them to defend you...again.” Levi looked over at his brother with a guilty expression. “Mammon..I’m sorry for chickening out at first, I-I wanted to help you but I just..froze.”

“Hey it’s alright, ‘sides in the end ya came through and we beat the shit out of all of ‘em!” Mammon threw his palm up in the air. “C’mon that deserves a high five! Especially that move with ya tail!”

Levi glared up at the hovering hand in midair, Mammon was waiting patiently for him to slap it, perhaps it would break the tension if he humoured his easier going brother. “Pff, you’re such a normie..” Levi rolled his eyes and smiled for a moment as he made contact with his brother's palm, and then finally his legs fell forward as the spell wore off. “Ugh, finally we can move again.” His amber eyes trailed up towards the house and he chewed the inner corner of his cheek. It was probably a very bad idea to go running straight to her room. But he didn’t want her to think about this too much and pushed his body forward at a quick pace, Mammon following closely behind. 

“Where are ya goin? I just told ya she needs time to think..”

“I don’t care. I need to see her and make things right, to be honest with you...I’m pissed off at how she was willing to sacrifice herself so easily again. Just like that time in the tomb, and the underground labyrinth, she’s always putting herself at risk for other people and I wish she’d have a shred of self preservation!” The otaku growled in anger towards her actions, and himself for feeling this way towards her. “It’s not like she can respawn after dying or walk a dagger in the chest off like we can!” He stopped in his tracks and threw his head into his hands, almost pulling his hair out at how tightly he gripped it. “Ugh I feel awful, is it really love if I’m badmouthing her like this? Solomon was right... I don’t deserve her.”

“Oi don’t listen to that jackass, it’s okay.. You’re allowed to be angry at her, couples fight all the time! Hell dontcha remember my ex Rowena? Me and her used to butt heads about everythin’ under the moon! But...I’m pissed with Em too to be honest. Remember what you said last night, about loving even the bad things about her? Well this is one of ‘em. She keeps way too much to herself and does stupid things like that all the time...it’s no wonder Lucifer blamed me for her drinkin’, and maybe I really am a bad influence to be around someone like her.” Mammon flashed a self deprecating grin towards his teary eyed brother. “It definitely wouldn’t have worked out with her, my drinkin’ and her depression? Not a good mix, ‘sides I’m just a stupid thief.”

“You’re not just a thief, but you are stupid sometimes...” Levi sighed with a faint smile, feeling even more guilty. He’d completely forgotten about Mammon and Lucifers argument with everything that had happened in the bar, the guilt was eating away at him. “Ugh I’m sorry, I’m so damned selfish making this all about me again.” He took a deep breath and faced his brother. 

“Are you alright? She told me the gist of it..you really have a deathwish to speak back to him like that though, I hope you’ve prepared your will, oh... “ A small smirk quivered on the otakus lips.” and I’m calling dibs on your speaker system by the way.”

The elder sibling looked at Levi with surprise in his azure eyes, he hadn’t been expecting him to ask how he was, especially after his performance in Hell's Kitchen. “I’m fine! I’ve heard everythin’ before so what he said about me really doesn’t bother me. It was more the fact he was tryna control Em and tellin’ me I’m a bad influence. I’m just sick to death of him lording it over us, I respect him and love him so much but sometimes he forgets he’s not our father.”

“Yeah.. Lucifer has always had a stick up his ass even back in the Celestial Realm. I remember that much, he and Michael would order us around all the time but he seriously needs a hobby; one that doesn’t include punishing us for every little thing.” Levi exhaled, they were quickly approaching the house now and both felt dread as they pattered up the steps towards the main entrance, everything felt tense and anxious. The others were still in class for another few hours except Satan who was still working remotely whilst trapped in Lucifer's body.

As they approached Ems room, Mammon hung back and pretended to tie his laces, which was funny as he was wearing boots that only zipped up. But he was hoping some delay would rationalize Levi’s thinking of storming up to her room. “Do you want me to knock on the door first? She might not answer if she knows it's you…” he said awkwardly, knowing how flighty and timid the human girl could be; she definitely wouldn’t take kindly to Levi acting like it wasn’t a big deal right now, and inside his mind he also couldn’t help but think it was a bad idea to let his brother see her when he obviously had a few discrepancies about her self sacrificial nature that he really needed to talk to her about when they both had a clearer mind.

_He’s right.. Should I even see her right now…_

_I’m just worried about her, I really didn’t mean to scare her. But Em..please stop throwing yourself into danger like you don’t matter!_

_You mean the world to me. I even told you that last night._

“You’re right..I’ll head back to my room, just tell her I didn’t mean to scare her?” He wasn’t happy with his own decision but for once he listened to his elders and crept back from the sight of the battered oak door.

The white haired demon couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief that his plan worked, and the fact Levi hadn’t noticed his footwear.“Ya got it, I’ll kiss ass and talk you up as much as possible okay?” 

With that response from his brother, Levi knew he could trust him to make things right with Em before he himself got the chance to speak to her directly. The otaku retreated to the kitchen to prepare some lunch for himself where he remained anxious for the follow up on Ems behaviour.

“Well here goes nothin’” Mammon took a deep breath and arched his back as he tapped lightly against the oak door, normally he would’ve pounded on the door until she felt no choice but to answer but that wasn’t the best way to go about this situation.

A few moments passed and there was no answer, but where else would she have gone other than her own room? She was so much like Levi, always finding sanctuary in her isolation. He put more pressure into the next round of knocks and pressed his ear against the wood. There wasn’t any sign of movement, which was odd. “Where the hell did she go?” He scratched his silver white spikes and ambled down the corridor towards the kitchen almost resembling a puppy that had been scolded by its owner.

A whiny voice startled him.“I’m guessing she didn’t answer…” Levi had just finished making himself some ramen noodles when he had seen a familiar spiked mop enter the kitchen in a defeated slump, he hadn’t expected Em to answer so he wasn’t all that surprised; in fact it was almost funny that she seemed to now be mirroring his own behaviour by locking herself away from everyone, a brief time in his life that it seemed no-one would let him forget.

“I don’t even think she was there to be honest with ya. I tried listenin’ for any signs of movement or incase she had the TV on but there was nothin’.. which is odd considerin’ it’s her usual go to.”

“Wait she actually wasn’t there?” Levi grew concerned, had she not returned home at all and gotten herself in trouble with more demons on the way back? Or maybe it was something more logical and she’d gone to see Asmodeus or Satan; which he really hoped was the case right now. He tapped his pants pocket wistfully. “Would there be any point in me texting her? Or calling her?”

Mammon thought about it for a second and shrugged.“It couldn’t hurt to try.” The worst she could do was ignore him completely, or block him from even contacting her; but he spent enough time with the human on a daily basis to know that Em had a weakness for responding to notifications, especially if it was from someone she was close to like Levi.

_She’d never answer a phone call...I’ll try messaging her and if she doesn’t answer then I don’t know._

_Please be safe._

Leviathan: Hey, Mammon tried knocking on your door and said there was no answer, you’re somewhere safe, right? I know you probably don’t want to talk to me right now so...if there’s any trouble just summon him okay?

Leviathan: We’re not angry with you about using the pact either.

Em: I’m fine.

Leviathan: Oh you answered! 

Leviathan: Are you somewhere safe?

Em: I’m safe.

Leviathan: So do you want us to come meet you?

Em: No.

Leviathan: Em :( can’t we talk about this face to face?

Leviathan: Remember what you said about friends talking about their problems together. I’m trying to do that now.

Em: I can’t face you right now Levi. I’m sorry.

Leviathan: Okay..well, I’m more than happy to do this over messages if it makes you more comfortable?

Em: I don’t know what to say to you right now

Em: You terrified me. Both of you. Mammon I suppose didn’t surprise me that much but, I never thought you were like that Levi. 

Leviathan: What did you think I was like?

Em: I thought you were innocent and kind.

Leviathan: And you..don’t think I am those things now?

Em: I don’t know…

Em: But the way you threatened that demon and held him by the neck with your...claws. It made me think back to when you were being an asshole, how cold and cruel you acted, is that the real you? Is the kind and gentle man I know just nothing but a lie?

Em: I’m just...so confused right now Levi.

Em: I thought I knew you.

Leviathan: You do know me...better than anyone. I’ve never opened up to anyone before like the way I have with you, and you mean so much to me. You’re my best friend, and I’m really sorry I scared you earlier.

Leviathan: I just wanted to protect you, but seeing those demons treat you like that it sent me over the edge, and all I could see was red. I’ll admit, I got carried away.

Leviathan: But can I ask why you threw yourself in front of Mammon? You were surrounded by drunk demons Em, you could’ve easily been hurt or worse! 

Em: I understand that you wanted to protect me but to say “a little carried away”? Levi you were like a monster in there, you laughed as if you were enjoying it…like it was nothing but a game.

Em: As for defending Mammon, I don’t know why. I didn’t even really think about it, my body just moved on it’s own, knowing he was in trouble.

_I know you care to the extent you want to help us, but you’ve got to START thinking about the situations you put yourself in, one day you might get yourself in trouble and I might not be quick enough._

_Like when I almost froze up completely today._

_And you’re surprised I resembled a monster..did you forget?_

_I am one._

Leviathan: Em...I’m a demon remember? I do have a darker side to me… and I’ve done things I’m not proud of, but haven’t we all? 

Leviathan: And you need to start thinking more about yourself. One day we may not be able to protect you.

Em: Okay. What sort of things have you done? Try me.

Em: Have you hurt others before? Worse than today. Have you..taken a life? 

Em: You never talk about your life, even though you claim to be thousands of years old. I know it’s “forbidden” but it made me think. I barely know you, or your brothers. What did you look like as angels? What did you do? Did you have jobs? 

_She completely ignored my message…_

Leviathan: I’m sorry, I never wanted to keep anything from you, but you know Lucifer has a hold over us, plus it was so long ago, we can’t really remember much anymore.

Em: Please answer my questions, at the very least one of them.

Leviathan: Okay..if it helps.

Em: Okay, so have you killed anyone?

Leviathan: I was a soldier in a war Em.

Em: So you have? I need you to be straight with me Levi. Please.

Leviathan: I don’t see what this has to do with today but…

He braced himself for the message he was about to send, his fingers trembled over the send icon. It was a secret that made his stomach turn, he’d buried it down so deep inside him it didn’t even feel like his own memory anymore.

Leviathan: Yes.

Leviathan: I can’t remember how or why though. All I know is...I did.

Em has gone offline.

Leviathan: Em?

There was no response, and after a few minutes he realized that she’d purposefully left the conversation.

His heart had dropped after seeing her avatar go dark, Mammon stood there with his head tilted, awaiting for some sort of information. Levi had just stood there typing rapidly whilst changing emotions and sighing towards the end of the interaction and it was a pitiful sight seeing his brother getting clearly upset again.“Well, did she say anythin’?”

Levi swallowed the lump forming in his throat and scrunched his eyes closed, barely able to form coherent sentences as the tears started welling up.“I-I've-ruined... e-everything…l-look.” He passed his DDD over to his brother who winced painfully as he read the conversation, the state of his brother was causing himself to get choked up too. He knew exactly how and why Levi had taken a life, he’d been there when it happened, but was it really the best time to dig that detail back up from the past? Right here? Right now?

As he collected his thoughts and forced himself to be strong right now, especially in someone else's presence who had already seen him at his weakest. And what could only be described as anger rose within Levi, desperately trying to overtake the feeling of sadness. He was furious, not just at himself but again; at her carelessness. 

The otaku’s voice betrayed him as it cracked more than a worn down pavement. “But what the hell was I supposed to do Mammon? Just LET the other demons hurt her, play with her, even kill her?! I don’t understand who she wants me to be! She told me to help you, I froze and then that’s when she threw herself in front of you and left me no damned choice!” He slammed himself against the wall in frustration and gritted his teeth. “I’m not a damned shonen protagonist and I’m not perfect. I know that but, why WHY is every choice I make the wrong one? She’s so freakin’ complicated… if this were an otome game I would’ve failed her route a long time ago.”

_3-D girls are impossible...if only they had a cheat guide._

Mammon couldn’t help but chuckle a little at the nerdy references, even when he was upset Leviathan just couldn’t help his otaku nature slip out, he bent over and put his hand on Levi’s shoulder.“O-oi it’s okay! Calm down... Like I said earlier, she’ll just need a little bit of time to wrap her head around things. To be honest it’s sorta on all of us, we really shoulda reminded her more about us not being human.” Mammon passed the phone back to his brother who looked up at him with a pained expression.“She’s been here for what four months now? And we’re only just startin’ to eat Devildom food around her.”

“I mean I personally never liked eating that crap anyway, thank Hades Diavolo allowed human realm food a few hundred years ago or I would’ve starved...” Levi rolled his eyes, shortly after they had been exiled from the Celestial Realm so many years ago now he had really struggled with the transition to demon food. It took him tens of years to get used to the taste of fried rats, scorpion stingers, void chicken and his least favourite; devilfish sushi.

The sullen demon kept his eyes fixed on the ground beneath him as he rose back to his feet. “Well I guess I’ll head back to my room for the next eight months..and then the rest of eternity. I mean where else would I go, right?”

_I knew I was an idiot to think anyone would ever love someone like me, let alone want to be my friend. All of the changes I’ve made to myself, they’ve been for nothing.  
  
This is why I stayed away from people, because I knew I'd disappoint them sooner or later._

_Maybe I should’ve just stuck with otome games and Ruri-chan. It was a lot easier, lonelier...but easier._

Now it was his older brother's turn to get angry. “Don’t you dare run away from this Levi! She’ll come around, even if she’s scared of ya right now I know for a fact if you lock yourself in your room for the rest of the year she’ll blame herself, and I’ll make ya regret it until..well..forever! Don’t forget how much it hurt her the first time round!” Mammon shook his finger at him like a disappointed parent, he would not let Levi live in peace if he made the same mistake of distancing himself from her, or everyone else again.

“Well tell me what I’m supposed to do then! The longer I wait the more chance I have of losing her as a friend, if I haven’t already. She didn’t even respond after I answered that question…” The purple haired demon pouted and started backing away, wanting to head off towards his room where he could think things over and be alone with his thoughts. “So much for her saying that friends talked about their problems…”

Mammon grabbed his brother by the shoulders and shook him with force, causing Levi to lose his balance slightly. “Do ya really want me to punch ya again! Are ya even listening to me right now? You’ll both be fine, you’ve been through too much together for this to completely blow it; just maybe keep it casual when ya next see her. Don’t go runnin’ and gunnin’ with that mouth of yours alright?”

“I am listening...it’s just hard to really think about this positively right now.”

“Then don’t think about it, distract yourself and go watch your animé or read your comics. I'll try to find her before dinner later. But Levi? Promise me ya won’t message her a buncha times in one of your panicky moments. It’ll just make things worse.”

“O-okay...I promise.” He sighed whilst looking down at the floor, concentrating on every fibre of the blood red carpet underneath him, just wishing it would swallow him up right there and then. “I’ll turn it off and hide the battery again.”

Mammon stared at him incredulously. “Hide the battery? Wow, ya can’t just y’know turn it off and ignore it? Heh, y’know forget I asked that, I just remembered who I was talkin’ to." He chuckled, hoping it would lift his younger brother's spirits a little. 

“That’s what I did last time.. Every time I looked down at my DDD I wanted to message her, call her and apologize. So I know for a fact my stupid brain will be even worse for it now I’ve accepted how I feel, plus I know her more now too.” Levi tittered as he stared down the corridor wistfully. “I think I’ll binge a really long animé and selfishly pray to Father that she’ll talk to me again.”

Both brothers accepted that there was no way Em was going to tell them where she was hiding right now and just hoped that she would come around sooner rather than later, especially with Levi.

* * *

Ems POV 

_I’m sorry for ignoring you both but… I really need some time to myself right now._

Em laid back on her purple sheets, flopping her head down onto a pillow as the bed springs creaked. She’d remained as quiet as a mouse when the brothers had come to check up on her, and thankfully they seemed to believe she hadn’t been home.

She pressed play on her laptop and stuck her earbuds back in forcefully, flicking her ebony hair over them. As the movie infront of her played, the sullen girl couldn’t help but think of her own situation.

_Maybe watching The Envy and the Equal wasn’t the best idea I’ve ever had. Honestly I thought it’d be happier given the title, the summary of the plot and even the tags say that it’s a comedy! I just didn’t expect...this._

The couple on screen were acting just as awkward as her and Levi had when they’d first met, only the woman in the movie seemed to have more sass than herself. And Em couldn’t help but see similarities between her best friend and Mr Parcy on screen, especially with the angst and lack of confidence he seemed to have in himself.

_He’s just like Levi..especially with how we first met, the dance and him not liking to be around people..._

_Yeah so much for a distraction.._

_I’m thinking of him again._

  
Em sighed and slammed the lid of her laptop down, it was unbearable to watch right now as everything reminded her of Levi, and her heart was aching to make up with him. But after knowing he had taken the life of someone was something she couldn’t ignore. How had it happened? Why had that been an option and..a decision? There were so many questions circling her head now, but she knew that he couldn’t answer them; he’d risked his own head by even answering one.

_At the very least Mr Parcy and Catherine are both human. I wonder if he ever killed anyone…_

_Probably not, he’s a lord...they didn’t really get their hands dirty back in those days._

_I can’t believe Levi doesn’t even remember how or why he did something like that, I know he’s impossibly old but seriously forgetting how it happened?_

_Was the life he took so meaningless to him?_

Her DDD was planted face down on her dresser, switched to silent mode on the off chance that she felt the urge to respond to any more messages from Levi. Em hadn’t really thought it though except knowing that as soon as the question was answered, that she needed some space to think.

Time slowed to a standstill as the girl sat on her bed lost in thought, the TV was off, her phone was still just out of reach on the top of her dresser and everytime she attempted to distract herself with the movie or just browse Ooogle, it was just no good.

_I need to get some air. I just hope Mammon or someone isn’t sitting outside my door camping out._

_Actually what time is it? How long has it been since I got back?_

The time had come to pass, it was time to check her DDD; which didn’t help with the production of sweat, or the blood flow around her body right now as her heart smacked against her ribcage and the air started to grow thin in her lungs. 

_Holy crap..it’s already 5:30pm? The feast is due to start soon._

_I’m not sure I want to go._

You have 6 new messages

Lucifer: Hello Em, I’ve just received a message from the Academy that you’re ill again. Now I won’t lecture you today but I have to warn you that your attendance is falling. However due to the circumstances of today I will excuse you and speak with you when I’ve returned.

Lucifer: Diavolo has called me for a small tea party and has forced my hand to attend with him, Barbatos and the angels. The evening feast is cancelled tonight, I’ve already announced it to my brothers just now, but feel free to help yourself to anything in the kitchen or call one of the kitchen demons.

Lucifer:As an apology for the display this morning I will replace your TV for a much more modern one. Please ensure those idiots all behave, I will speak with Mammon when I return.

Em: Sorry for the late reply! My phone ran out of charge and I was napping. 

Em: I understand, I'm really sorry about my attendance and I'll make sure to rest this evening. 

Em: You really didn't have to buy me a new TV but I appreciate it...thank you so much Lucifer, and enjoy your evening with everyone! ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ

* * *

Mammon: Hey Em, I did knock on ya door earlier but you musta been with Satan or somethin’. I know you’re scared shitless right now of me but I wanted to say I’m sorry alright? I didn’t mean to scare ya, or show you that side of me. I can normally handle my drink but I guess after this mornin’ it just got to me.

_Liar...everytime you drink you’re a mess! But I get that you’re trying to apologize in your own way._

Mammon: And I know it’s none of my business but don’t be scared of Levi. He was just trying to protect ya. I know he didn’t show the best side of himself earlier but you know he’s got a bit of a temper and a big head when it suits him. What I’m tryin to say is he cares about you a lot and you shouldn’t let this come between you guys.

Mammon: I know I’m askin’ a lot of ya but can’t you just talk to him about this face to face? He’s not answerin’ his messages and I’m….kinda worried he’s gonna ghost us again. Anyway I’ll shut up and leave ya alone if that’s what you want but remember you can summon me alright? The Great Mammon could cheer ya up!

_Mammon… I don’t know what’s shocked me more now, you standing up for Levi like this or the fact he killed someone._

_The question now is..do I respond or do I let it sit with me._

In the end her need to reply to unread notifications won the battle and she was typing out a message to the Avatar of Greed.

Em: I understand he was just trying to protect me, I’m just shocked that I’ve seen that side to him...and the fact that he’s taken a life has me even more on edge, the thought of being in the same room of him right now terrifies me, just like when I first saw Lucifer's true form. 

Em: As I said to him earlier, I just don’t know what to think right now and need to be alone. But thank you for messaging me.

_I hope that didn’t come off too cold…_

_And I’m really surprised I haven’t heard anything from Asmodeus._

* * *

It was decided, Em crept towards the door and pocketed her phone, she’d read any responses in her own time. The sweat on her palm made it hard to get a good grip on the handle of the door as she ever so carefully pushed it open, her large eyes were transfixed on Lucifer's office on the opposite side of her. She could hear her heart beating loudly as it filled the silence of the empty corridor.

_Oh right he isn’t home...I wonder if I should go see Belphie, I know it’s a little earlier than usual but..as long as I’m not there for hours on end no-one should notice._

She made her way to the kitchen and hastily opened the cupboards and the large refrigerator that had to be easily twice her size.

_Okay, sushi definitely….maybe a snack too...oh a slice of apple pie! Beel told me it’s his favourite, and...poison? Why the hell is something like that in the fridge? Do demons DRINK poison?_

_I’ll just take the apple pie and the sushi for now…_

Carrying as much as she was able to in a discreet manner, Em advanced down the corridor, keeping a lookout for any sign of movement, especially from Lucifer's room as she once more passed his bright red door.

As she huffed up the spiral staircase the sound of humming could be heard, Belphegor was already awake. Which meant he would be in a good mood.

_The perfect time for a little chat, I think._

He was already aware that someone was tip-toeing their way up to see him and walked towards the very edge of his attic prison cell so he could lock eyes with whoever it was; ‘it’s probably Lucifer checking I’ve not wasted away’ or so he thought.

If he wasn’t the incarnation of laziness itself he might’ve been shocked as the sight of rotund aquamarine eyes and a nervous smile appeared in front of him. “Oh, you’re early..I think? Hey what time is it? And is it even a good idea for you to be here right now?”

“Hey Belphie..” Em gave him an awkward wave and set the bag of food down on the floor next to the cell. “It’s 6pm but..can’t you tell from the temperature?”

“What?” He looked at her with a confused expression and then it dawned on him what she meant. “Oh you’re on about that stupid thing Levi does...heh he spends wayyyyyy too much time in his room. But then so do I up here.” His eyes sparkled like gemstones and he spoke in a teasing manner. “Unless... you’ve finally made those last two pacts?”

Em grimaced, it had been awhile since her and Asmo made their pact and she could tell Belphie was starting to become impatient about the subject. “Ah..I’m afraid not..I didn’t know it was just Levi that did that though. Then again he’s full of surprises lately..” a harsh tone slipped out from her, and the sleepy intellect immediately picked up on it. “Anyway, Lucifer messaged me to say he went to see Diavolo for a tea party and apparently had no choice in the matter.” she chuckled, trying to relieve the tension already around them.

“A tea party?” Belphie remained poker faced but there was a slight bemused twitch on his brow bone.He couldn’t help but think that had been a cover up for something else, Diavolo was always trying to invite Lucifer to those sort of things and he always refused; which meant it was something being kept secret from everyone again. “Well I guess that means we won’t be interrupted at least. You’ve got a few hours before I need to sleep again so...by the looks of that bag you wanted to butter me up with treats, what do you want to know.”

Em gave him a look of wonder, for someone that slept so often and looked like they didn’t have a care in the world about anything but being away in dreamland, Belphie was incredibly attentive even if he didn’t like that fact himself. “W-well..something happened today and I was hoping you could tell me more about…” she started fiddling with her hands, how in devildom was she supposed to ask him something so outright. “A-about..”

“Hey...I said you had a few hours. But if you actually want to talk about anything you’ll have to be quicker..” the amethyst eyed demon sighed exasperatedly and fought the instinct to roll his eyes, the humans hesitant nature was getting old fast. “Ugh you don't want advice on how to win my brother over do you?”

“S-sorry..it’s just kind of hard to ask. No… it-it's nothing to do with that.“She fidgeted with the bag and passed it through the barrier, watching him paw through it with curiosity as she readied herself.  
  
“Oh you brought pie too? Wow you are spoiling me today.”The Avatar of Sloth replied sarcastically. “So go on...if it’s not love advice..? Which I’d be terrible with anyway.”  
  
She bit her lip and averted her gaze, and finally the question left her lips. “I was wondering if you could..tell me a bit about before the fall.” Belphies usual emo-empty eyes twinkled in brief surprise, before his face fell back to it’s natural unmoving state.

He twirled the tempura roll with his cyan coloured nails, she had caught him off guard and that wasn’t easily done. “Oh? Why the sudden interest? You’ve come to visit me plenty of times and it’s never come up before…” Belphie flicked the sushi into his mouth and smacked his lips together as he chewed. “Did something happen…” 

He studied her face, there was a hint of sadness in her eyes and she looked forlorn about something, and the harshness of her tone earlier had raised his suspicions. But why did it bother him seeing her upset? Was he starting to actually care about this worthless creature? Impossible, after all it was her kind that had caused the celestial war in the first place, if they didn’t exist then Lilith would still be alive, he and his brothers would still be in the citadel ruling over everything together, still able to feel the warmth of the sun on his wings and the scent of the almost seafoam coloured grassy hills he, Lilith, Beel and on rare occasions, Levi all loved to roll down or nap after a long hard day patrolling or reporting to Michael.

“W-well..something happened earlier in Hell's Kitchen...with Mammon...and..Levi.” Em felt her lungs tightening and her voice deceived her again as it cracked. She was trying to be strong around Belphie, who was incredibly intelligent as she wasn’t sure he could be fully trusted with everything just yet. 

“Hell's Kitchen...Levi went to a bar with you? Like outside the House? Wow… you really are changing him aren’t you.” He laughed deceptively, sugar coating the venom with a boyish giggle. “Are you alright? You seem a little..depressed today. Care to tell me what happened earlier?”

_I won’t worry him about Lucifer and Mammons argument…_

“W-well it’s nothing..it’s just that..” She scrunched her eyes shut as the tears started up again. “Maybe you were right, about demons not being all sunshine and lollipops...Levi..lost control today, he turned into his t-true form, beat demons up and even threatened one of their lives.”

Belphie leant against the other side of the door and sighed. “Of course I’m right, I am a demon after all.” He glanced at her sorrowful expression and instantly averted his gaze towards his feet, lost deep in thought. “I did warn you, we’re not the same. Why did Levi get into that state? What happened? I thought maybe you'd had a falling out because normally you don't shut up about him and I know he has quite a short temper when it comes to Mammon and if you mock his animé or Ruri-chan but.. that sounds like he was seriously pissed off.”

“Mammon got drunk and stole someone's wallet and by the time me and Levi found him there things were already pretty heated, anyway you can imagine what happened, some demons got ahold of me and then Levi...he..he just snapped and went full rage mode on them, I thought he was so cool and heroic but then he held one of the demons by the throat and spoke like..like a heartless monster.” It hurt her to call him that, but that’s exactly what she had thought of him in that moment, Levi was a monster who didn’t seem to value life in the same retrospect as a human, perhaps it was a curse of being an immortal creature? Maybe Belphie would offer some rare advice.

_Why am I even telling him about this, he’s just going to mock my stupidity and tell me how right he was…_

To her surprise and even his own Belphie clicked his tongue as if she’d just told him Levi was arguing over passing the salt at the dinner table. “You really are stupid aren’t you… can’t you see he was doing it to protect you? And have you forgotten that we fought a war? Let me ask you something, what do you think about soldiers that have had to kill others for their freedom and families back in the human realm? Are they heartless monsters too? Sure, Levi might have gotten a bit carried away but it’s only because he probably felt those memories surging back. It was a traumatic experience for all of us, you know? But you probably didn’t think about that whilst you were forming these xenophobic opinions, drooling over him for his looks and calling us all monsters for fighting for what we believed in. Didn’t Beel even tell you about how...our sister died in that battle? But sure, us taking hundreds of years to even come to terms with our grief about losing our dear dear sister means absolutely nothing to you, does it?” 

It didn’t stop there, Belphegor felt all of his rage and hatred pouring out of him as he kept insulting and judging the human girl who was now stood with her mouth agape, unable to respond. “You’re supposed to be my brother's best friend, well that’s what you say you are. But I think you’re a coward who talks big, there’s no way you love him if something like this is what causes you to hesitate on your feelings for him.” How dare this pathetic creature call Levi a monster with no remorse, she wasn’t worthy to even be in the same room as him; especially after what had really happened in the war. 

He felt himself getting angrier and angrier for his big brother's sake, forcing himself to step away from the barrier as his own horns were starting to form under his long inky bangs. “If you really think that after asking Levi what he had to do in that war then feel free to pack your bags and go crawling back to the human realm, because I refuse to let you pretend to have a shred of feelings for my brother if they’re so damn shallow.” 

Em was astonished at the usual blasé demons angry rant, it wasn’t exactly the same response she had expected but her ego had definitely taken equally large jabs. He was right, she was a coward, she had even told Levi herself that friends talked about their problems and hell, even Levi had reiterated that to her in his texts earlier.

_Belphies..right. I am an idiot!_

Well after this the human would probably never return, Belphie winced a little and counted down the seconds before Em stormed out of there again like she had once before, he’d definitely said too much and had even let his plan fall apart in the process, he was supposed to be luring her into a false sense of security so she trusted him, yet he’d just gone after her life in verbal form.

It was apparently a surprising day for everyone involved as Em stood her ground, letting the words sink in, they hit her like a freight train. “Y-you’re right.” she croaked and started pacing back and forth, whilst Belphegor watched her like a hawk just out of her peripheral vision. “You’re absolutely right… I have to apologize to him, as soon as possible. The age gap didn’t really bother me as much as I thought it would, but I think it was the fact Lucifer almost killed me...maybe it just set something off inside me, like a fight or flight response? And then of course..the possibility of maybe Levi losing his temper on me and doing the same..” Her heart squeezed tightly in her chest, how could she have said those things, made Levi feel like he was in the wrong for doing something courageous. She had wanted him to be more confident and in the one instant he had, she crushed his self esteem like a bug.

_I...I hate myself, Levi...I’m so SO sorry._

_What have I done…_

Exhausted physically and mentally from the uncharacteristic outburst, Belphie threw a few more pieces of sushi into his mouth and almost choked at the reveal that Lucifer had tried to kill her. It explained a few things in the way she acted so cautiously around him. “So...why did you come to see me? Hm? You could’ve just asked Levi about the war and the fall. Again...so much for being best friends forever”.

“Well I..I suppose I knew you wouldn’t care that Lucifer has banned you all from talking about your past with me, Levi was very reluctant to even answer one of my questions in a text.”

“Tsk, that really doesn’t surprise me. Alright then. Where do I start? So right after my sister fell from the Celestial Realm Beel came to my rescue and blocked an attack with his armour, saving my life in the process. We saw Lucifer swoop down instantly with all six of his wings flapping faster than the speed of light, our father grew tired of the endless fighting and claimed victory, me and my other brothers were cast out and exiled, tossed like garbage towards the Devildom with one strong gust of wind. Our wings seized up making them useless..it was a one way trip upon touching the ground and then Lucifer ripped his own wings off..as you know that created Satan. I don’t remember much of that day, well duh, it was hundreds? Of years ago now.” Belphie got lost in a thousand yard stare as the memories came flooding back, how Diavolo had rushed in to help Lucifer and then they both disappeared, presumably to bury their sister.

“B-belphie? Are you okay?” Em frowned at the teary eyed demon behind the barred door in front of her.

He snapped out of his trance and blinked a stray tear away, carrying on with his turn of events as if everything was fine. “So after Satan was..brought into the world? I dunno, word it however you want. Diavolo gave us this house to live in. Did you know it was taken from your realm? Apparently seven kids and their parents lived here, then they all got murdered.”He smirked and ignored her concern. “Maybe a _heartless_ demon like Levi killed them all eh? Anyway we were given this place to live while Diavolo tried to keep us under his control.”

Bitterness rose in Belphegor, he couldn’t stand the demon prince and had always hated him. “Did you know it used to be painful for us to change forms? Satan explained it to us a few hundred years ago but, whenever we felt our emotions or feelings shifting to whatever avatar our father cursed us with, we’d feel our skin pulled apart, ram horns sprouting from your skull isn’t fun, you know?”

_It was painful for them? Well..I suppose suddenly growing a tail or scales would hurt._

Em couldn’t help but wince as she imagined the sensation of horns slowly sprouting out of her skull, large bat-like wings ripping through her spine or a long serpentine tail erupting from her coccyx; it didn’t sound pleasant. “Is it still painful for everyone?”

“Who knows? Probably. We sort of just got used to it.” He shrugged halfheartedly in response, and couldn’t help but feel they’d both been talking for longer than he’d wanted; either that or the anger fizzling out had taken its toll on his cursed Avatar as he felt waves of drowsiness starting to force his eyes shut. “How long have you been here? I’m.. e-exhausted!” He yawned, stretching his limbs as far as physically possible.

“Oh, right...uhh one second.” The self hating human wiped a few dried tears from her cheek with her sleeve and held her phone up, time had passed a lot more quickly than usual, it was almost 7:30pm and Em groaned seeing the unread notifications from everyone, Asmodeus was obviously very confused and hurt that he hadn’t received a summon or even a message with how things had gone, Beelzebub had heard what happened from either Mammon or Levi as there was a large essay ready for her to paw through, Satan had also messaged her asking if she needed to talk to him. 

_What a mess…_

And of course there was nothing, not even an emote from her best friend. Well she didn’t expect one after rudely leaving him like that.

As soon as her time here was up; which it looked like the yawning man was hinting at, Em would try to set things right with her best friend.“Anyway since it’s getting so late.. I’ll leave you be. T-thank you for...everything tonight, even giving me hell..you actually knocked a lot of sense into me s-so..” She stood up straight and bowed respectfully towards the attic prisoner. “I'm so sorry for disrespecting you, your brothers and Levi.”

An apology wouldn’t work, the little respect he had for her was already lost, but Belphie gave her a small smile before ambling back to his favourite napping spot with the rest of the snacks, caught off guard again that she even wanted to return after his mouth ran off like that. “Mhm, I’ll see you when you next drop by...hopefully with a new pact. Don’t be stupid again alright?”

Upon sneaking back into her bedroom Em grabbed her DDD and began furiously typing to everyone who needed responding to, reassuring Beel and Satan that she would fix the mess she had so stupidly created.

Beelzebub: Hey Em. Mammon told me what happened. I wish I could tell you more about the war but Lucifer really would have our heads, and yours if I told you anything else. The war was really tough for Levi, but that’s all I can say...I’m sorry I’m useless to you right now :( 

Beelzebub: He isn’t a bad guy, honestly. Even though we’re demons, and since we were created he’s always been one of those awkward, shy, kind sort of people. I hope you two talk things out, but I’m also here if you need me. You know where my room is!

Em: Hey Beel..sorry for the late reply, I know. I’ve had some time to think and maybe I did judge him too harshly, I’ll try to fix this. I’m such an idiot, but you’re not useless, I respect that you can’t tell me anymore than you already have.

* * *

Satan: Em is everything okay? I ran into Mammon on my way to the common room earlier and he told me what happened. There’s just never a moment of peace in our lives is there…. Anyway you know where I am if you need someone to talk to, I have more novels for you and some jasmine tea that is good for the nerves.

Em: Hey Satan, wow Mammon told you too? Maybe I should be calling him the gossip demon and not Asmodeus! I think I’m alright now, I just need to talk to Levi face to face, even if that scares me right now, I need to stop being a coward.

Satan: Unfortunately Mammon cannot keep things to himself, but I assure you it was in your best interest that he blabbed about this, he’s just worried about you two, plus I suppose it hasn’t been a particularly easy day for him either. But I’m glad that you came to that decision yourself in the end, Levi has always been rather sensitive and sometimes I wish I’d spent more time with him.

Satan: Please let me know how things go.

* * *

Next on the list was Asmodeus and Em knew he would not take kindly to the prolonged silence or the lack of date.

Asmodeus: Don’t answer this if you’re busy!~ But I just wanted to demand that you tell me how the date went today, did you put all my teaching into practice?~

Em: Hey Asmo, I’m really sorry but lunch never happened... Levi and I went looking for Mammon instead, things happened and well, I’ll tell you when I next see you okay?

Instantly there was a bombardment of messages.

Asmodeus: WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT DIDN’T HAPPEN?! 

Asmodeus: Are you telling me I’ve been here squealing in excitement for nothing? I thought you were playing with his joycon all night..if you catch my drift? ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

_I’m just going to ignore that...now’s not the time for innuendos Asmo._

Asmodeus: I’M GOING TO KILL MAMMON FOR GETTING IN THE WAY! But what do you mean things happened? Can’t you just summon me to talk about this, Em?

Asmodeus: I need to know! Nowwwwww ಥ_ಥ

Em: I’m sorry Asmo, I’ll tell you first thing tomorrow!

Asmodeus: Fiiine...but I’m not happy with you :( 

Asmodeus: However there’s...something I need to tell you too!

Now he had raised alarm bells, what was it he was wanting to tell her? Was it good? Bad? Asmodeus didn’t exactly sugar coat things last time he delivered news.

Em: What is it? Something..bad?

Asmodeus: It can wait, I’ll talk to you tomorrow! 

Asmodeus: Hope everything's okay. Sweet dreams!~

_Sometimes I don’t understand you Asmo…_

_Anyway that’s dealt with, now for the hard part._

She exited the messages and scrolled through her contact list frantically, stopping on the name Leviathan. “Okay, you can do this. You can’t be scared of this your whole life.” Before her brain could stop her she mashed the green dial button with her thumb and breathed shakily, holding the speaker up to her ear. 

A few moments later, a familiar voice rang through on the other end, only it sounded bored and monotonal. “Moshi Moshi, Leviathan desu?”

“L-levi? You picked up!”Her heart started thumping away, this was her first time initiating a phone call in years afterall; there was so much to say, yet she didn't know how to say it.

“….LOL REKT! Hah I bet you thought I answered didn’t you? Well sorry to disappoint you but I’m probably doing more important things right now.”

_Ugh it’s voicemail..well what did I expect!_

“Levi what the hell are ya doin’?”

“Mammon, go away!” The voice became more muffled, and she suspected he’d covered the speaker with his hand to drown his older brother out. “Can’t you see I’m setting up a new answering message right now?”

“‘Course I can, I’m not blind! But what’s a mushy mushy? And what’s a desu?”  
  
“WILL YOU JUST SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE, I’M BU-” The voices were cut off, it sounded like he’d ran out of time.

Sighing in frustration at the wasted courage, she hung up and threw the phone on her bed. But she wouldn’t give up on him, not again.

It was nerve wracking as she gave her a room a quick once over, then ran towards the bathroom mirror to check her appearance before reciting the summoning spell. The texting system they had could go screw itself for once and even though he hadn’t picked up, this was urgent. She just hoped he was alright.

As the familiar cloud of smoke cleared she could just about make out a pitiful pout on his face, and he averted his gaze towards the door. Em would have to do things fast before he could start blaming himself, none of it was his fault, this was entirely on her own head.

She saw his feet take one step towards the exit and threw herself over to him, grabbing the sleeve of his jacket. “Levi wait! Before you go running out that door...I’m sorry! I’m so SO sorry, I’m such an idiot; this isn’t your fault at all, it’s mine!” His face twisted into one of confusion and his dewy honeyglow eyes scanned her expression and body language from the side for the answer to what was happening right now.

He’d been caught completely off guard by the summon and the lack of text had caused his heart to almost stop as he felt the pull to her room, the first thing he thought of was she wanted to return the gifts he'd bought her, or tell him she never wanted to see or talk to him again so this outburst and the desperate tugging sensation on his sleeve like she wanted him to stay, was puzzling to say the least.

It had been quite a few hours since any words had left his throat and he had to cough before he spoke. “W-what are you talking about Em? Why...am I here?”

Words poured out of her, it didn't matter what order it came out in and she didn't care if she was getting emotional, Levi needed to hear her out right now. “I tried calling you but you didn’t answer..I wanted to apologize to you in person, and a text just wouldn’t be enough. I...had some sense knocked into me tonight; I don’t care that you killed someone, and I’ll...get used to your demon form. I shouldn't have judged you from that one incident and should’ve heard you out first before running off like a damn coward. I think Lucifer in the tomb affected me more than I let on; I was just scared because you reminded me of him but...I would...like to know more about you, and why...you took a life, i-if you’ll let me? I promise I won't utter a word of what you tell me to anyone, Lucifer won’t find out. And you don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to, I just want to know you better...even the bad stuff”

She wrapped her arms around his stomach tightly, to further reinforce the atmosphere, her head rested against his back as she heard his heart hammering away. “You could never make me hate you, y-you mean far too much to me to let this affect our friendship.”

Levi looked down at the small arms enveloping him in a hug and slowly twisted his torso around, hoping she’d get the hint. Luckily Em understood and rescinded her arms and the otaku was able to meet her face to face as he stared down at her with a small smile on his face, his eyes now had a warmer glow to them.

“You...called me? I’m sorry, I know how hard that must have been for you..my DDD was on silent mode.” Words couldn't describe his relief right now, but he cursed himself for not answering during the one time she had summoned the courage to call him. He threw his arms around her body and pulled her towards him in a rather intimate cuddle. “But I understand...I-I’ll tell you everything I remember, even if Lucifer hangs me up on the ceiling for it...but I want to talk to you about something first...” It was now or never, the awkward subject of her self sacrificing nature had to be talked about, sooner rather than later in case it happened again and she ran out of people to come to her rescue. He gestured towards her bed. “Can we sit down?”

Now it was her hearts turn to do backflips, what did Levi want to talk to her about, his tone was pretty serious. Despite how scared the sentence had made her, she nodded and tore herself away, perching herself on the edge of her bed. “O-okay, I’ll listen to whatever you have to say.”

This was going to be a long night, he thought as he ruffled his hair nervously and took a seat next to her, intertwining his hands together on his lap, not even beating around the bush as he blurted it out. “Em, I’m really worried about you... The way you throw yourself into danger constantly. I know you said you don’t think, but you really need to _start_ thinking.” He chewed on the end of his nail in frustration.“As long as we’re being completely honest with each other..I was kind of pissed at you for it”

Her anxiety piqued and Levi quickly followed up before she got too down about it. “B-because I know you mean well, and you want to help people! Which honestly is amazing and I admire you for that courage, but one day you might find yourself in trouble and no one will be around to come and help. I know.. you think the pacts with my brothers and I will solve everything, but remember the underground labyrinth? Henry 1.0? And Helene? You tried summoning us and it didn’t work; plus if the sno-Solomon hadn't been there, you could’ve _died._ W-what I’m trying to say is yes, you have us at your disposal but there are times where magic can block us from helping you out.” 

Feeling like he was ruining the mood here, Levi changed tactics and gingerly put his hand over hers. “Please, start putting yourself first more...i-if not for me then do it for everyone else who cares about you. It’s okay to be a little selfish Em, Hell I’ve had thousands of years of practice in that department if you need a sensei… ” he wasn’t sure whether to keep his hand there or let go again “Anyway that’s all I wanted to say.”

She decided for him, and placed her other hand over his, making him flinch slightly.“Levi...I don’t know what to say, except you’re right. I keep glossing over my own safety for others, and maybe..I need to speak to a therapy demon or something; i-if they exist.”

“T-they do, but you’ll have to ask Diavolo or Lucifer about one. I...was recommended to see one, along with everyone else just after we fell, but I didn’t go.” Levi braced himself for the moment and Em squeezed his hand tighter to let him know she was there for him, he smiled sadly at her and began to reveal his secrets. “It’s kind of fuzzy now, that life but I remember before the war I’d actually spend a lot of time “patrolling” the citadels with Lilith, Belphie or Beel. We’d goof off or I’d run to find somewhere quiet and read what you’d call comics these days; they were more ancient though and the plots always sucked!” 

The more he talked the easier it got and his echoes of the ancient past began to unravel like a long novel, spilling out from him. He realized he'd gone off topic slightly and chuckled bashfully. 

“S-sorry, it looks like it’s all coming back to me now...right so the war. I don’t know how many angels lost their lives in that battle but our side fought hard and towards the start; when the horn was first blown an opposing angel came swooping at me with a spear” The memories were flashing back faster, more aggressively now and Levi felt like he was reliving the moments as he recollected with breathless panting. Which was causing much concern from Em, it sounded almost as if he were having a panic attack.

“I..I ducked it and blocked with my shield and thought I was safe to hide behind Lucifer but the g-guy struck me in the leg and I fell to my knees and hobbled towards the fleet...here’s the part I’m not proud of... I...could see the f-fear in his eyes as he followed me; h-he was so...young, barely an adult…” Levi looked as if he’d seen a ghost and made the mistake of closing his eyes to try and block out the vision. “I was s-so scared that I was going to die, h-he raised his weapon but, I..I grabbed my own spear and I-I-...n-no...”It was becoming almost impossible to carry on his sentence as the tears came streaming down his face, the harrowing scream rang in his head from when his own weapon pierced through the opposing angels flesh, the loud thud the angel made when he fell to the ground, cold and lifeless in front of him. Mammon yelling his way through a swarm of troops to get to him. He winced in pain, feeling a ghostly twinge below his right knee cap and Em knew exactly why the brothers didn’t talk about their past lives, that was all she wanted or needed to hear.

_Levi..I’m so sorry..if I knew what you had been through I never would have spoken to you like that._

“Levi..stop. You don’t have to finish that sentence.” Em slid closer to him and gave him another cuddle as she held onto him for dear life. He started trembling like he was freezing cold and she knew he had repressed these memories and now they were haunting him. She cupped both her hands on his face and spoke with urgency, begging him to return to the present. “Levi..Levi! It’s okay, you’re not in the war, you’re in my room.”

Instantly his eyes shot open as he came face to face with her, both of them teary eyed. “Em...I’m sorry, i-it was l-like I was there, doing it all..over again. The pain in my leg, the smell of the grass and the...the screams. It all felt so real.”

“It’s okay...I’m here, you’re safe. And you don’t have to tell me anything else, ever again about that time in your life.”

It had been a very eventful day for the both of them, and now she felt awful for pushing him to tell her this horrible secret, it sounded like it had opened a gate inside his mind, and not pearly white welcoming ones.

He begged her to let him finish whilst the repressed memories were still on the surface. “N-n-no I do. After...that I completely snapped and I went crazy and took out 20 or 30 angels; n-not killed them though, just wounded badly...I remembered that bit, but I must have blocked out the..rest. Thankfully my brothers got to me before I could do any more..harm.” He took a deep breath. “I’ve only ever killed that one angel, and honestly I was starting to forget all about it before you asked. So much time has passed and...maybe that’s the real reason I became such a shut in. I...never wanted a war, Em. I can’t explain it but me and my brothers all have a bond, Lilith was a part of that, and our father wanted to have her executed for...reasons.” His eyes flickered towards her, hoping she wouldn’t want that topic expanded. “So hearing that we had to disobey our father to save her, it was an easy decision….if only we knew it would all be for nothing.” 

“Thank you for telling me Levi, I really appreciate it and..I-I can’t imagine going through something like that. Just know, I will never forgive myself for judging you so harshly. Nothing can ever express how sorry I am for how I’ve acted towards you today...and honestly I really wish we’d gone for that lunch instead now.”

Levi giggled in response, thankful she lightened up the mood and composed himself, but he still felt shaken up from the story as he traced over where his wings would have sat between his shoulder blades. “Yeah, well we can always reschedule it right?...oh!” It dawned on him that maybe she hadn’t found a peaceful moment to satiate her hunger today, and he still didn’t know where she went earlier but that wasn’t important right now. “Em. Have you eaten anything today? It’s really late but I can make you something quick if you want? A-and then I’ll leave.” 

“Actually Levi... I want you to stay here, with me..tonight.” She watched as the otaku began to get all flustered and realized the wording sounded a little poorly timed. “J-just because I don’t want you having any nightmares after telling me that...y-you don’t have to stay if you want to be alone, I just..I’m worried that’s not going to be _all_ that you remember.”

“A-alright..I’ll stay, b-but what if Lucifer-”

“Don’t worry about your brother. I…can handle it.” Em said confidently, she would have to be the caring host tonight; Levi had already shown her his vulnerable side and it was her turn to look after him for once, however there was one nagging thing in her mind. “I’m sorry for bringing this back up but...didn’t you say you were a Grand Admiral of Hells Navy?”

Levi grinned at her sheepishly. “T-that’s actually just a joke title to be honest… there hasn’t been a war in the Devildom since ancient times and I think Diavolo just didn’t want to leave me as the odd one out. My skills on the night of the pillow fight were just things I’d learned over the years from animé or fighting games, I was just putting them to the test. And I’ve always had quick reflexes, you can thank my gaming skills for honing them.” 

_Ah that makes sense._

He readjusted his body and sat up straight, Em was still leaning against his shoulder protectively. “I didn’t mean to lie to you, it really is my title, I’ve just never been called to use it or check up on the fleet I’m apparently in charge of. Same with Lotan...the uhh the sea monster I have the power to summon, I only did it once and it apparently nearly caused chaos in the three realms, so uhhh yeah. Something else I guess you didn’t know about me?”

Em squeezed his arm tighter. “I’m not mad, technically you didn’t lie if it really is your job. You’re still an employee, you just work from home indefinitely! And I..really am fascinated about Lotan, what does he look like? D-did you ever get a chance to see him yourself?” She was completely caught off guard at the fact her love interest had so much..power, it was honestly a bit of a rush for her and she found herself even more attracted to him as images of what his uniform might look like teased her mind. 

“LOL you’re kind of right about that, to be honest it makes me feel less useless... thank you.” It took everything for him to not nuzzle his head against hers lovingly, she’d finally heard him out, he’d cried, they’d talked and made up, and were now cuddled up sitting on her bed. Despite the circumstances of getting to this point, Levi was beside himself with joy right now, which was a very welcome distraction from the angel talk. “Lotan is a seven headed sea serpent...sort of like hydra? Sounds terrifying right? But he’s actually kind of cute… I only met him that one time and now I’m forbidden to summon him unless it’s urgent.” He whined, it had been shortly after the fall when he first saw his not so little hydra buddy, and he was still coming to terms with his powers and the fall when it had happened.

The effects of the serotonin, adrenaline and whatever else emotions and hormones were swirling around her system today started to fade and her head started to spin, she doubled over and curled into a ball, still leaning against the ex-angel for support. “Actually a seven headed sea serpent sounds cute to me! A-and you’re not useless, please stop talking like that!” She clenched her stomach as the growling started. “I...think the hunger just finally hit me, do you mind if I go grab something? I’ll get something for you too.”

_Don’t you dare offer to go yourself, I’m not leaving you alone tonight after what you told me._

Almost on cue, Levi offered himself. “Stay here, I’ll get you something.” Em felt him pull away and grabbed his jacket again, tugging at it sternly.

“No.. let’s both go.” She gestured towards the door with a reassuring smile.

The two returned with a small feast fit for a king, or Beelzebub, and Levi darted his eyes timidly around the room. “Uhhh I'll sleep on the floor. “ he reinforced to himself, there was no way he was letting himself fall asleep with her like last time. “I just need a blanket and I'm good to go… “ he glanced over towards her storage unit, where she tended to keep bed sheets and other comforting things like pillows.

Ems DDD suddenly vibrated in her pocket which sent them both in a panic, but she relaxed herself and giggled. “Oh! That'll be 808..don't worry.. I'll replay the chat in the morning, you're more important anyway...w-what I mean is this situation is more important, and I don’t think I can handle any more angst today, even from 808.”

“Oh okay phew! For a second there I thought Lucifer was doing midnight checks all of a sudden.. H-he's done them in the past when Satan used to try and keep stray cats hehe”

“I told you not to worry about your brother, besides what does two friends having a sleepover have to do with him in the first place ?”

There was no chance in hell that he was answering that question, it was not the time to confess nor have that kind of talk, and as the pair of them finished their snacks weariness and exhaustion started to ambush them.

Em quickly excused herself to get changed into her pyjamas and hurried into the bathroom.

Before he could make the mistake of falling asleep next to her again Levi stood up and grabbed a spare blanket and moved almost strategically towards the opposite end of the human girls bedroom, planting his jacket, a pillow and the fleece blanket on the floor beneath him. 

She came back out with a toothbrush in hand and sighed at the sight of a very sad looking makeshift bed.

_You don’t have to sleep on the floor silly.._

_“_ Levi you can have my bed, I really don’t mind sleeping on my beanbags...the floor..doesn’t look very comfortable.” 

“It’ll be fine, honestly! And I can’t sleep sitting up.. besides like I said last time, this is your room, I’m your guest.” He reassured her.

She pouted.“ Well..if you say so. Goodnight Levi. If you need anything or you can't sleep, please wake me up. I'm here for you, whatever you need.”

_I hope I don't have any weird dreams of you again tonight, I don't think I could ever live it down if you heard me calling your name like that…_

The gangly otaku forced himself to lie down on the cold stone floor, it was incredibly uncomfortable as she’d suspected, but it was better than nothing. “G-goodnight.. And thank you again for everything.” 

She turned the light off and the two of them quickly fell into a deep sleep. 

Only a few hours had passed before Em woke up to a mumbling voice, and she instantly knew what was happening. Levi was having more flashbacks, in the form of a nightmare. She leapt out of bed, not really knowing the best way to approach a sleeping demon but persevered and stroked his hair, leaning down at him. 

“No.. I-I didn't mean it…Lucifer! I'M SORRY!” He cried out in his sleep, his face twisted into one of anguish.

_I really don't want to frighten him.. But he looks so sad, it's definitely just as I suspected._

“Levi… Levi .. Are you alright? Wake up!” the tired girl gently shook him and his eyes flickered open, confused to see large blue eyes staring up at him and rightly so. 

“E-em.. is it morning already? What happened?” Levi yawned in a groggy state.

“You don't remember? You were having a nightmare I think.. “she took a seat next to him on the floor and he sat up to be equal with her. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

His eyes widened and all of a sudden he burst into laughter, which concerned Em deeply; thinking the dream had broken his mind in its fragile state, the weary otaku readied himself for a slap at the very least. “Ohhhh I'm sorry, I was having a dream but it was just Lucifer locking me up in a dungeon because I ate the last of his croissants.”

Upon hearing the reason for the sleep talk Em let out a large sigh of relief and held her heart as it slowed back to a relaxed state. “Oh hades… I was worried that you were having more flashbacks… Oh I'm so glad you're okay.”

“S-sorry, I didn’t mean to worry you… But hey it's okay! You can go back to sleep now. Don't worry about me, I'm fine.” he paused for a second and focused on the temperature of the room around them, it was 4am; rather early in the morning. “I'm probably going to just stay awake now… Do you mind if I go on your Zwitch for a bit?”

“I-if you're sure…” she frowned, was Levi telling the truth? He looked terrified, but then Lucifer did always manage to strike fear into the hearts of everyone for the seemingly smallest of reasons. “And of course you can.” A kindly smile spread across her face as she passed him the console and she crawled back into her bed, finding herself turning on her side to watch him play a little as his expression gradually changed into a more cheery and joyful one.

A small giggle escaped her throat as Levi’s tongue stuck out in concentration and he spun around within seconds to ask what was wrong. “What’s so funny? W-wait are you watching me?”

“S-sorry, you look like you’re enjoying yourself, and I’m just so happy to see you back to your goofy self.” She beamed at him, thankful that she could even be back to playful banter with him.

“Well you’re more than welcome to join me..but it is early isn’t it. Get some more sleep, and..I’m sorry beyond words for today...wait no..yesterday.”

_Yesterday.._

_Wait, it's Saturday today! The otome game is supposed to arrive!_

_Well at least everything is sorted...and Levi is here with me in my room playing games again._

“Oh! You just reminded me, it’s Saturday today!” She exclaimed, a little louder than suitable for the current time of day. "But don't apologize, I'm the one who overreacted Levi...I'm the one who's sorry."

“Yeah Saturday normally comes after Friday you know...” He grinned at her but after a few seconds, there was a ping sound in his brain causing him to match the same stunned expression. “Oh! Isn’t your game supposed to come today? Well that settles it. Clear your schedule Em and get some more sleep, I’ll show you how to clear every route in an otome game. Just call me the Harem King Levia-chan.”

Laughter erupted from her and she had to throw her hands over her mouth to stifle the volume.“There is no way that I’m ever calling you that! Not even if you paid me!” She rolled her large eyes at him and flumped herself back down in a more comfortable position. “Enjoy the game Levi, I’m just going to rest my eyes for a few more minutes.”

The insomniac demon let out a few hushed cheers as he managed to clear the level on Uber Bario Universe and glanced around to gloat, his heart skipped a beat as he turned her way to see that she had fallen back asleep facing him with an angelic smile. Figuring that she’d sleep through anything he cracked his knuckles and played until both of their alarms went off.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are done with the angst people! Otome game fluff, fun and humour starts in the next chapter. 
> 
> More character development from Em though, she finally had the guts to pick up that phone AND talk about things with Levi for once..after Belphie grilled her of course.
> 
> I'm not telling you an upload schedule anymore, the next chapter comes when it comes as it's way too much stress on me right now. But I hope you liked my original lore, this has been planned for awhile.


	52. Levia-chan

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after Levi and Em's surprise sleepover, apparently the House Of Lamentation residents like hushed conversations.

_Okay, one more golden star and then I'll wake her up._

Levi sighed, reluctantly turning back to the game console in his hands, it had been three hours since she fell asleep; her breathing was shallow and relaxed and it looked like she was having a pleasant dream as her hands wrapped around the fluffy pillow beside her. 

Both of their alarms had gone off but Em slept right through hers and Levi turned his off, so as not to disturb her. It was the weekend after all.

He glanced around her bedroom, taking everything in for once; whenever he usually spent time in here it was hard to get a good glimpse of anything other than her. There was a small black box on her games shelf that said memories, her own animé figurines stood proudly guarding the rest of the display; Jeren from Attack on Giant, Doku from Your Hero Academia and a few others from the same franchise, and right at the top of her shelf was Levi’s gift; the green dragon statue of Pyro.

_I’m so glad she likes it, I wrote my ass off with my reviews to save up for that thing…_

_I just don’t know if I can top that for her birthday present now, especially after that abominable jackass. And I’m sure all my brothers are going to go overboard on her. Another figure is too generic, I got her the limited edition of Fruits Hamper along with the zodiac stones...but...it’s missing something._

_Maybe I can get some ideas whilst I’m here, there isn’t much time left now._

A few potted plants were nestled on the side of the window, purple-blue tinted leaves that branched upwards. It wasn’t a plant that existed back in the human realm, and on one of the first ventures into the Devildom market she’d fallen in love with it. It was called a Dreamleaf, a succulent from the Celestial Realm that didn’t need watering, and it was said that if you mixed the leaves into a potion it would grant you only happy dreams for a brief period of time. 

He could really have done with a shot of that last night.

Next to the dreamleaf was another beautiful flower, the Winter Kiss. Another import from the celestial realm, the petals looked frostbitten and the shape resembled a snowflakes geometry, but the closer to the silver stamen you got, the petals darkened into an aubergine colour. This flora didn’t really have any special properties, she just thought it was pretty; and had been rather shocked to learn it was freezing cold at the touch.

_I wonder if..there’s a plant she really likes more than these. There has to be something that grows in the Devildom that isn’t a thorn or something gross looking._

_If she really does have to leave, it would be something to remember us by...and me._

_Wait, Diavolo only banned teleporting between realms because of Mammon taking advantage of it, would it be possible for me to..get access so at the very least I could visit her?_

_I know Lucifer is still allowed, but there’s no way he’d let me get permission, I’d have to ask Diavolo myself._

_There’s got to be something I can do!_

_I don’t want to be apart from her._

His eyes trailed back to the female lump in the bed across the room, every single feature of her face was breathtaking to him and the more he studied it, the more he found things he loved about her. 

_Oh..her lips are a bit chapped..does she bite them in her sleep?_

_I hope she’s having a good dream, she seems happy..._

_I should really stop watching her sleep, it's pretty creepy now I think about it._

_It would be humiliating if she woke up and saw the stupid look on my face that I know I’m pulling right now._

_Okay okay… Time to focus._

The otaku scolded himself for being unable to tear his eyes off the girl as she slept soundly, just a few metres away. He finally unpaused the game and guided the Italian plumber character to the small pearl coloured star that was asking for bits in exchange to send the player to a new planet. 

_Damn you're greedy.. You're like a little chibi Beel...here you go, take all my hard earned bits._

_No I'm wrong, now you sound more like Mammon._

Just as he finished feeding the glutton space friend Em stirred and a few sleepy giggles escaped her lips, followed by one breathless whisper. “ _Levi_.. “

The man mentioned was halfway through a somersault off a small planet in game and flinched instinctively at the sound, leading the character straight into a black hole from the shock. He shot his head around to check if she'd woken up and was asking him something in a drowsy state. But no, there she was still fast asleep, a larger smile now spread across her lips as she nuzzled the pillow under her arms. 

_Did she just say my name?_

_Ems… dreaming about me?_

_No, no. Calm down. It could just be a simple friendly dream of us playing games or something together._

_That pillow is one lucky bastard._

He decided to ignore the jealousy towards the inanimate object and resumed the game, rolling his eyes in frustration due to having to replay from the beginning of the stage again. That’d teach him to get distracted over the smallest things. Bario was sliding across a patch of ice when Levi heard a faint tapping on Ems door, causing the onscreen character to slide off the map into freezing cold waters, another easily avoided death. “ _For Mephisto’s sake_!” He huffed and paused the game, whilst angrily stomping towards the door.

_Wait. I almost forgot, this isn’t my room!_

Seeing no other option but to wake the poor girl up, Levi crept over towards her and swooned at the sight of her up close in a dream-like state, her eyelids were shut and she was breathing in and out peacefully with a mask of blush spread across her face. “Em...Em” he gently rocked her shoulder back and forth. Still no response. He brushed back her hair and leaned over, whispering softly into her ear. “ _Someone’s at the door_.”

Em rolled over and smiled at the sound of his voice, letting go of the pillow and wrapping her arms around Levi’s forearm instead. The otaku’s breath hitched as the human in front of him started snuggling into his sleeve. “E-Em..?” He tried pulling his arm free with no result and shook her again with his free hand, unable to hide a few chuckles.

_You’re so freakin’ cute..._

_And I didn’t lie about that dream, I think knowing you were here with me helped calm me down again, so thank you...I’m going to do my best not to think about that life. It’s behind me now._

The sleeping girl finally stirred and shot her eyes open, strange, what was she holding right now? It was warm, soft and had a familiar scent to it. Levi cleared his throat and her gaze trailed up the ivory sleeve to meet his rather amused grin. “G-good morning.. Someones at your door and uhh..c-can I have my arm back?”

“O-oh Levi! Good morning...again!” She giggled nervously, releasing his arm in the process. Barely awake for two minutes after dreaming of the man and her heart was hammering away again, especially due to how close he was to her right now.

“S-sorry about that..” The two exchanged a warm smile and then another knock at the door crashed through their heartwarming atmosphere. “O-oh right the door!” Em launched herself out of bed as he moved out of the way to let her pass. 

Quickly scanning her condition before opening the door, she smiled at Levi once again and threw her glance to the bathroom, just on the off chance it was Lucifer and things got...heated.

_Oh right! Good idea!_

The otaku nodded obediently in response and quickly retreated to the bathroom, grabbing the blanket on the way; he carefully closed the bathroom door over until there was just a small crack so he could still listen in.

The sleepy human girl fixed her bedhead and opened the door, looking down to a little demon tapping its feet, looking rather perturbed. “Emilia Cartel…I have a package for you to sign for.” He sighed exasperatedly, what was wrong with the residents of this place? His first week on the job a gaunt, sickly looking demon barely opened the door and now this scruffy looking female had taken forever to actually answer. It had been an eventful first few months working for Akuzon that was for sure.

“O-oh sure! I’m so sorry for taking so long to answer, so uhh..where’s the package?” Em smiled politely down at the small demon and handed him back the device with her signature on, he said nothing in response but whistled and diverted his attention back down the corridor.

“Alright boys bring her in..be careful with it or Lucifer will have our heads.” Suddenly four other delivery demons announced their presence, all helping support the weight of a huge rectangular box; on the side it said ‘50 inch SMART TV.’ But that wasn’t all they brought through, Lucifer had outdone himself with the apology and hadn’t just upgraded her television but also ordered her a brand new, bigger and more spacious TV unit along with it. It was a good thing Ems room was just as spacious as Levi’s.

Em was speechless at the size of the box, along with the unit they somehow managed to push through the door, one of the demons handed her the receipt and carted her old, now inefficient unit and television away. “O-oh thank you!” She called out to them as they disappeared down the corridor.

Levi was still hiding in the bathroom, he’d launched himself into her bath head first and pulled the shower curtain rail across as he read the various articles from readdit about that game; according to the rumours people were being sucked into the code itself and were unable to escape without completing the game, there were weird glitches and an odd requirement to play; but those users had been shadowbanned, and the comments were deleted or mysteriously edited. 

_That would break so many laws and rules..it’s probably just people review bombing it for some stupid reason._

_This isn’t Shield Art Offline for Mephisto’s sake!_

He had a VR system himself but you had to consent and actually place the headset on before the game allowed you into a virtual reality, and this game was on the Zwitch.

_Oh I better check my messages! I’m pretty sure Mammon texted me a few times last night._

You have 3 new messages.

Mammon: Oi you better not be ghostin’ on us all again after I even told ya to stop bein’ stupid!

Mammon: Levi...come on, I’m gettin’ worried about ya now.

Mammon: You’ve taken that damn battery out again haven’t ya? Unless ya just ignorin’ me! Well I’ll be bangin’ that door down tomorrow if ya ain’t out after breakfast ya hear?!

_Oops..well it’s still early, we’re not expected to be at breakfast for at least another hour._

Leviathan: Ghosting you? I did what you said and just binged a long animé series..are you that stupid you forgot your own advice LOL. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Leviathan: Nah, we actually worked things out. Em summoned me last night and we talked about things, I’d rather not remember it though, if that’s alright? It was kind of a downer and it affected me pretty badly.

Leviathan: And I actually..spent the night with Em. NO, NOT LIKE THAT! But she insisted that I stay after I told her things about myself, before you yell or get overprotective of her, I slept on the floor alright?

Leviathan: But thanks, for keeping me grounded yesterday. I really struggled with staying put, a few times I grabbed my jacket and thought about banging on her door until she answered. Well, it’s all sorted now and we’ll both see you at breakfast.

There wasn’t a response, but then Mammon didn’t tend to be an early bird; you were lucky to get him out of bed past noon on a weekend and he tended to sleep naked so that was a task no-one looked forward to.

_Okay I don’t hear their voices anymore...I think they’re all gone._

He climbed out of the bath, feeling a little silly and carefully opened the door, peeking out of the crack with one amber eye. He couldn’t see much, just a big brown box. The coast was clear and it looked like the akuzon demons had left.

“Levi..? you can come out now, I think it’s safe.”

The demon snuck out of the bathroom and closed the door back over, upon turning his head back to the bedroom he let out a gasp of shock. “Holy shit Em, i-is this what you’ve been saving up for working at the Library?” 

When he was finally able to close his jaw again, Levi started inspecting the television package, the specs were pretty good, low energy consumption was a good idea in such a chaotic and draining household and it could stream Webflix, Akuzon Primal and Zulu.

_WTF! IT’S BETTER THAN MY TV! How the hell did she afford this? It took me years to save up from working crappy jobs._

_Damn it Em, now I’m jealous of you._

Em chuckled at Levi’s jaw dropping expression and started unboxing the huge screen. “O-oh no this is actually..a gift from Lucifer, I think it’s his way of apologizing for losing his cool about me drinking and seeing him and Mammon argue like that..”

“He got you a whole ass TV for that? Jeez... I had to save for years for mine, but then I guess me dropping big grimm on my aquarium pushed it back a bit.” He whined, that pang of envy once more in his gut.

“Oh about that! Levi I’m..not going to ask you how much that aquarium was, it’s none of my business but, what sort of jobs did you do? I’m just curious because well..you’re a shut in.” She grunted whilst trying to set up the new tv unit all by herself.  
  
Levi saw her struggling with the behemoth sized package and assisted her, bearing most of the weight himself. “Ughhh..it was a really dark time in my life alright? I had to work in places like Akuzon delivery center and as you know I’m not the fittest, well I’d have to run up and down the warehouse grabbing demons orders and then packing them...all within a certain amount of time. It took me.. 10? Years of back to back night shifts there and I hated every second of it.” He grimaced at the memories of running back and forth constantly through an endless warehouse, even though he was the third oldest sibling of the powerful demon brothers it didn’t stop his boss coming down hard on him every single shift about his lack of enthusiasm. 

_Ugh I really should’ve punched that guy when I had the chance._

In the end Levi had quit that job after he realized demons liked his animé and game reviews and were willing to pay good money for them. It wasn’t as much grimm as Asmo or Mammon made from modelling or Lucifer was paid from Diavolo for helping him with the academy but, it was a substantial amount of money for someone who didn’t have to do any manual labour and of course it helped feed his hoarding problem of manga and memorabilia.

The pair worked quickly together and built the unit, it wasn’t complicated; there were just a few parts here and there that clicked together, no drills were necessary. Finally, Levi gripped the TV with both hands and positioned it on top of the display unit, sighing from relief that he didn’t drop anything.

Feeling her muscles aching from the little amount of DIY they’d done, Em flopped herself back onto the bed and exhaled, meanwhile Levi stood awkwardly next to the unit chuckling to himself at her exhaustion from something so menial. “Hey, just be glad that unit was from Akuzon and not OKEA, or we’d have to build the entire thing ourselves...I’m not terrible at DIY but you know my shelves? They took...a lot more effort to build, I actually had to ask Mammon and Beel for their help and somehow Mammon made it into a boat shape! Even WITH me reading the instructions!” He struggled to contain his amusement, his older brother had been so confused and tried blaming him on the entire thing, meanwhile Beel had just done as he was told and followed Levi’s directions, happily taking the role of handyman for that trio.

A burst of laughter erupted from the worn out human girl. “A-a boat?! HOW?! Mammon...never ceases to amaze me…” She sat back up and smiled at the otaku, it was wonderful to see him happy again, laughing and joking with him like yesterday hadn’t even happened. 

“I really don’t know! You’d think I’d gotten used to his stupidity by now, after all these years but you’re right, he is...a mystery.” He chuckled and read the room, it was probably appropriate to sit with her now.

Another knock at the door made him jump straight back up. Em and Levi threw a worried glance at each other and she nodded towards the bathroom again. 

_“Em wait._ .”Levi whispered as quietly as possible. “ _I..If it’s Lucifer, he can’t know I spent the night. He would kill me or worse if he found out.”_

 _“O-okay I won’t say anything, if that’s what you want._ ” Em raced towards the source of the knocking as soon as Levi closed the bathroom door again, only this time they had a right to be worried.

“Ahh Em, good morning. I hope I’m not...interrupting anything. You seem healthy, feeling better?” It was Lucifer, his eyes shot straight to the bathroom and did a quick scan of the room before landing on the new television. “Oh it arrived!” 

“Y-yes thank you, I just had a migraine yesterday and had to sleep it off!” She answered, nervously whilst pulling down her sleeve to hide the claw mark from yesterday.

“I see, well that’s good.” He let himself in and strode right up to the new gift, examining it for any imperfections, but couldn’t help raise an eyebrow at how it had been set up, Em wasn’t exactly hiding a six-pack of abs under that shirt. “You must be stronger than you look, Em. Did you set this all up by yourself? I highly doubt the delivery demons did it for you, they’re paid minimum wage and I know from experience they’ll complain if asked and would rather just hurl it at your door.”

She squirmed in place, what was the right decision here? Lucifer wasn’t stupid and the sweat on her forehead, the deer in the headlights expression she had on her face right now was a dead giveaway. “W-well..uhhh”

Inside the bathroom Levi was holding his hands over his mouth to stifle his breathing, oh he was a dead demon if his brother found him here, at this hour, at this time of day, localized entirely within her room. 

“Were you talking to someone before you answered? I could’ve sworn I heard two voices coming from your room and I thought to myself, well it’s rather early and you’re normally not awake until minutes before breakfast, and I’m pretty sure Mammon is still asleep.” He smirked and his eyes flickered back towards the bathroom, and then under her bed.

_Oh shit...I think he heard my voice. We really are stupid to underestimate Lucifer...even if he’s trapped in someones body right now it doesn’t mean he lost his intelligence._

Seeing no other option, Em relaxed her shoulders and smiled innocently up at Lucifer. “Actually no, Levi is in the bathroom right now.” If he was going to have a problem with it, then she’d do her best to stand up for her friend just as she’d promised last night.

The oldest brother's eyes widened and a scowl ghosted his face, meanwhile Levi’s heart practically gave out, almost causing him to collapse. Before composing himself and flushing the toilet, hoping it would seem less suspicious as to why he was in there, he took the hint to remain calm and collected as he stepped out of the bathroom with an equally nervous looking but ironically angelic expression.

“Uhhh hey Lucifer! Yeah I-I..uhhh” He couldn’t summon any coherent words and stammered, trying to think of a good excuse for being here.

Em saw Levi’s pain and came to his rescue, even though she had said that it was none of the head of the households business about their slumber party, she agreed with him, it would be a silly move and would probably get her friend into trouble again, just like at Diavolo’s party. “I summoned Levi here to help me set up the new TV actually, you’re right it’s really heavy and well I was already talking to Levi on the DDD and he was more than happy to help! Isn’t that right?” She kept her promise to him and steered clear of anything that would hint towards a sleepover.

_You’re too good for me, Em._

_Thank you._

With some verbal backup he was able to come to his senses, throwing in that babble talk to hopefully make it more believable.“Y-yeah that’s right! We were talking about the new o- a new game that’s supposed to be arriving today, Em bought it for herself as an early birthday present and well I offered to help, as we all know I am the harem king when it comes to games like that!”

Lucifer narrowed his verdant eyes at the pair, it was obvious they were hiding something; they should know better by now to lie to him, especially Leviathan. But he was biding his time, waiting for the right moment to talk with Levi one last time about his delusional fantasies of being with a human, and right in front of her wasn’t a very good time; especially after all the drama from yesterday. 

The truth was that he hadn’t actually gone to see Diavolo, he’d gone to clear things up at Hell's Kitchen on Mammon's behalf and knew all about the ban, the fight and the fact that Em had been in danger. Of course the staff were shocked and a little confused that Lucifer didn’t match his descriptions but Satan still had an intimidating aura so they obliged and took the credit card without any questions asked, at the very least they were getting their money as promised.

In his own way of helping he’d gotten their bans lifted, paid the white haired thief’s outstanding tab and decided Levi’s gift would be more subtle, he would in fact not string him by the horns from the ceiling for creating such a disturbance and for continuously lying to him about his feelings towards the girl and he realized whilst clearing out his office the other day that he still had those body pillows.

But what really irked him was the fact Levi still hadn’t bugged him about them, it was almost as if he forgot they existed.

“I see.. Well I suppose you chose wisely, Levi does in fact have _some_ use, especially when it comes to this sort of thing.What sort of game? I suppose I could take a look at it whilst I’m stuck in this body. I can’t do most of my academy work, and Lord Diavolo was gracious enough to take some of my responsibilities from me.” He smirked deceptively, perhaps he could get in the way of that quality time they were hoping to spend together.

“O-oh right, sorry I forgot to ask! How was the tea party last night Lucifer? Did you have a good time?”

Levi raised his eyebrow. “Tea party? You actually went to one?” That was strange, Diavolo was always inviting his brother to these things and Lucifer was always declining the invitation.

_Where did you really sneak off to?_

Lucifer bit his lip, he’d forgotten that was the excuse he used, no-one could find out about his good deeds, at least not yet. “Ahh yes, Lord Diavolo sends his regards, Simeon and Luke asked how you were doing too.” He shot a warning glance over at his purple haired brother, if Levi dared question him or try to catch him out on his white lie then he would be more than happy to rescind the kindness he had shown him. “And Barbatos asked for your contact information, so I gave him that.”

_Glare at me all you want Lucifer, I know you’re hiding something… which is nothing out of the usual I guess._

“O-oh well, I’m glad you enjoyed it! And no problem, I was going to ask Simeon for his information but, well.. He’d probably link me to a map of Barbados instead!” Em couldn’t help but notice Levi’s confusion and lack of belief, but shrugged it off; it was none of her business what Lucifer really got upto.

The atmosphere began to feel awkward, no-one knew what to say and it was only a matter of time before the oldest sibling dismissed Levi. “W-well anyway thanks again for the TV Lucifer, I’ll take good care of it and make sure it’s used everyday whilst I’m here!” 

“Yes..” He chuckled dryly. “Please do.” Before turning to the otaku as expected. “Leviathan, are you headed back to your room now? There’s still a while before breakfast.” 

_Of course.. Because I’m not allowed to spend time with Em on a Saturday morning all of a sudden?_

“Yeah I’m just gonna make sure that everything's hooked up properly, help Em with moving her consoles to the unit and then I’ll leave.” 

“Good idea. I’m sure Em would prefer a bit of alone time before having to sit through our silly antics again. I can assure you that nothing like that will happen again, in your company at the very least. “ His friendly smile dropped as soon as he turned towards his younger brother. “Will you actually be joining us today, Leviathan? It seems you missed _all_ of the **_fun_** yesterday.”

“Oh I wouldn’t miss it for the realm.”Levi gave a childish grin back to his brother. “Unless of course you want to play some Bario Kart before breakfast, Em?

“I don’t mind at all!” She beamed at him, trying her hardest to ignore the tension between the three of them right now.

_Take that Lucifer._

_She actually enjoys spending time with me._

Lucifer walked towards the ajar door and smiled at Em. “Well I’ll see you at breakfast, but first, seeing as you’re not leaving anytime soon; may I have a word in private Levi? It’ll only take a second.”

_Levi...? You never call me that._

Leviathan felt his blood run cold, what did his brother want with him? Had he figured out he’d been here all night or, even worse; was it to talk about his feelings for Em? Unfortunately there was no choice in the matter as his older brother gestured towards the door.

They both stepped outside and walked a few metres away from Ems room, whilst Levi stood there anxiously with his hands in his pockets, Lucifer sighed and pinched his nose. “How long has it been since Diavolo’s gathering, Leviathan?”  
  
“U-uhhhh a f-few weeks? I guess? I don’t really keep track of time.” 

“Mmmhmm that’s the issue.” Lucifer scratched his chin and then looked at Satan's green nail polish in disgust before piercing his eyes back up at his brother. “I’ve had your pillows for quite some time now and Cerberus almost used them as chew toys a few times, so I will be returning them to you at some point today; they’re starting to become an eyesore.”

“W-wait seriously? I can have them back?!” This came as a shock to Levi, he was certain his brother was going to hang onto them for quite some time after that disrespectful display during the dance.

“Yes, you may….” Once more Lucifer exhaled and rested his palm defeatedly on his chest. “I have to ask you again Levi...do you have inappropriate feelings for Em?” he lowered his voice, the last thing he wanted right now was for the girl in question to become aware. “ _Are you in love with her?”_

_Not again.. I’m never telling you the truth if you’re not okay with it._

_Especially after what Satan told us._

“Nope! How many times do I have to tell you..Ruri-chan is my one and only!” The shut-in flashed a plastic smile, beaming with fake confidence at his words. “I have no interest in 3D girls, especially not a human!” He shrugged obliviously.

A dry chuckle was all Lucifer said in response, and an awkward silence before he pounced, striking the otaku with words. “Forgive me for not understanding your relationship with that...cartoon woman but if she’s your one and only I really don’t think she’d appreciate that you completely neglected her, I’ve rescinded your..merchandise many times now as punishment and every single time you’ve kicked and screamed the place down and threatened to summon Lotan; so what’s changed recently that you don’t seem to have a care in the world. Would you have even noticed I still had them if I hadn’t mentioned it today?”

_H-he’s got me there. There’s nothing I can say to that!_

_Just spout crap! A-about animé! He always switches off super quick!_

He didn’t waste any time with an answer to that, if there was a hint of hesitation in him, it was game over. “Of course I would have noticed, do you know how many times I’ve cried to Em about those pillows? How l-lonely I’ve been without Ruri-chan to hold, c-cuddle and k-k-kiss every night? I just..didn’t want Em thinking I was pathetic, b-but not because I like her, I don’t! I just didn’t want her looking down on me like the rest of you do. P-plus there has been a lot going on recently with the trip and what happened with Asmo’s ex, a-and all the animé that came out this season has been sooooo good, like seriously I don’t think we’ve had a season this solid with OPs and ED’s this good since maybe 2015? I mean that was a great year, we had Himtama, One Kick Man, Eliminate Elementary..Oh! And how could I forget Gogo’s Excellent Adve-”

“Leviathan. **Stop**. “ Lucifer had grown bored, it seemed he really had crushed that bond with Levi that he once had, many many years ago and it was obvious that he didn’t trust him anymore. But could he really blame any of them for their lack of trust? 

“I’ve heard enough. I’ll return your things after breakfast…” He nodded his head as a goodbye and flicked his golden locks, huffing air in annoyance. That talk with Levi hadn’t gone as well as he hoped, in fact it caused him even more anxiety and he was curious as to why a self proclaimed shut-in really was in Ems room that early in the morning, on a weekend to boot.

_Thank Mephisto he’s gone… and he seemed to buy our excuse._

_It’s ridiculous I even have to lie about crap like that. I'm a grown ass demon. I should be able to do what I want, when I want and love whoever I damn well choose!_

_You’re my brother..you should be happy for me.._

_Is your blessing really too much to ask for?_

He was more than happy to see the end of that conversation and shuffled back towards the human guests abode. The raven haired girl puffed dramatically and looked up at Levi as she re-positioned a beanbag chair. “Well that was...awkward. I really don’t understand sometimes why Lucifer seems to be so hard on you, especially when it comes to hanging out with me, d-did he want anything in particular? You look a bit... Nevermind, it’s none of my business!”

Levi’s pupils turned into the size of dots, he did not want her to dwell on that subject whatsoever. “Hehe yeah Lucifer's just a hard ass, always has been LOL! Don’t worry about him, he was just telling me I can have my Ruri-chan pillows back” he laughed nervously. “So uhh did you actually want to play some games before breakfast? To be honest I was just trying to get him to leave when I said that.”

_Just don’t ask me why..._

“Oh he’s finally lifting your punishment? Wow.. he had them for awhile, don’t let me keep you here if you want to grab them before breakfast! If you wanna go back and take a shower, that’s fine.” The otaku instinctively leaned into his jacket and sniffed, before Em corrected herself seeing his reaction. “Oh no! I wasn’t trying to say you smell bad or anything! Just if you wanted to...when I’m stressed a nice hot shower always helps me! A-and I’ve been wondering too, d-do you use a certain body wash?”

“Uhhh not really, just generic normie stuff to be honest, why?”

That question had her oddly flustered and she had to hide her face, shrinking into her pyjama shirt. “Uhh..w-well you smell like the ocean..”

Levi’s face twisted into one of disgust at himself, it had been awhile since he visited Diavolo’s beach house with the others but he was pretty sure people didn’t like the smell of the sea. “I-isn’t that bad?”

“N-no not at all! My hometown in England is near the seaside so it’s a bit of nostalgia for me, I actually always liked the smell of the ocean, the saltiness and you also smell...sweet, a bit like cotton candy.”

_Ugh that was a critical strike on my heart!_

_You think I smell...sweet?_

Levi gleamed crimson, since becoming a demon his natural scent had also changed to reflect his sea serpent form; and this was the first time to be told that someone enjoyed that odour. But he grew curious, what did the others smell like to a human? “T-thanks, I mean, I’m curious now; do demons smell bad to humans? What about my brothers?”

Em giggled, a little embarrassed at the bizarre topic they’d found themselves discussing, but still gave it quite a lot of thought as she listed them out as easily as naming the days of the week. “Well..most of you kind of reflect your Avatar. Mammon smells of money actually..like that metallic golden scent. Beel just smells like AkuDonalds or grilled barbecue, Lucifer is harder to pinpoint because he masks it with really expensive cologne but I guess, stress? Satan has that new book smell, probably from spending so much time in his library and Asmodeus...well I’m sure you can guess..it’s roses mixed with perfume mixed with...something else I can’t quite put my finger on.”

_Knowing him, yeah that’s probably the smell of sex, Em._

_But we wouldn’t know that._

He couldn’t help but collapse into a ball of laughter, the more he thought about it the funnier it was, the girl was basically saying his brothers all smelled weird, especially Lucifer who somehow was able to remind her of a mental state, which wasn’t too far of the mark after that chat in the corridor. And to compare Beelzebub to smelling like a fast food restaurant was hilarious as well. “I never knew stress had a scent but...that’s amazing LOL! What about other demons, y’know like..t-the ones yesterday?”

She winced at the memory but answered his question, maybe a little too honestly.“Uhhh they just smell a bit like...eggs? It was strong the day I arrived, I couldn't really concentrate on my lessons for the first few hours. But I guess I’ve gotten used to it now.”

“HAHAHAHA!” That was the last thing holding his amusement gone, he had to lean against the door for support as he caught his breath back. “Hah… sorry..that really got me, I guess I’ve been a demon too long to notice it.”

_That’s one of the funniest things I’ve heard in years._

_But I’ll have to go back and shower, ugh. If only summoning worked two ways...well, I did enjoy my evening with her; a-apart from the sad stuff._

_I’m just glad I don’t smell of eggs too LOL_

She loved hearing him laugh, it was so infectious and innocent. Something she wished he did more often.“Don’t apologize for laughing silly..I just don’t think before speaking sometimes.”

“There’s nothing wrong with that, just don’t tell Mammon or Asmo, they’ll happily tease the other demons about it.” He reluctantly made the decision to return to his own room and cleaned his nest up from her bedroom floor as he spoke. “I-I’ll have to head back and get changed, I’ll see you at breakfast though and just summon me or let me know when your game arrives okay? It’s a bit weird it didn’t come with your TV and unit though; did you maybe get the wrong room number?”

She gasped in response, was his intuition right? Had she gotten the address wrong? Maybe it ended up somewhere entirely different; she yanked her DDD out of it’s charging port and smashed the Akuzon tab with her thumb, scrolling endlessly down her account for the tracking. “Oh... _shit_.” she cursed under her breath, making Levi stifle a chuckle before making eye contact with him. “Ugh... so you’re right as usual.It says here it was delivered to the 2nd floor of the House of Lamentation.”

“2nd floor? Ahhh Satan's room probably. And I bet he thought it was a book because of the shape of the box so signed for it, can you see any more details on the tracking information?”

“Yep. again, you’re correct... Look there’s a big ‘S’ on the order details...I haven’t checked my messages yet either but I guarantee he’s opened it.”She quickly closed the shopping tab and opened up the chat rooms, there it was as clear as day- well in their realm, night. A message from Satan with a picture of the game attached stating he’d bring it with him at breakfast that morning, and a few other things she couldn’t really relay to Levi, involving him and the topic of the game had intrigued the bookworm further if she’d come to a decision yet.

“Well I have known my brothers for thousands of years, you tend to pick up some of their habits.” He cocked his head up, showing a display of smugness, impressing her with his intuition had inflated his ego. “Anyway, I’d better go and shower, I’ll see you downstairs!”

“Oh right! And I bet you’re excited to get your pillows back too!” She walked over to the door to see him out.

_Would it be weird to ask for a hug goodbye?_

_I mean, she was there for me last night…_

_Screw it._

As he opened the door to leave Levi turned back towards Em and bashfully held his arms out, blushing slightly. “I...I uhh..thanks for letting me stay here.” It wasn’t like she needed much convincing, she gave him a wide grin and threw her own arms around his neck, more than willing to reward his farewell with an embrace. They’d hugged so many times now but each one felt like it was the first time, and it was addicting for them both to feel the warmth of each other, their natural scents engulfing the other. 

_Man, even hugging her sends my heart into overdrive._

He hesitantly ended the intimate action and pulled himself away from her, sighing from the intoxicating smell of her shampoo as it lingered around his nose. Regretfully his stay came to an end and he returned to his own room to shower and change clothes.

* * *

Breakfast was tense again, Levi could hear a pin drop as he walked through the doors into the dining room, he’d gotten changed into an orange graphic shirt and some dark blue jeans, making sure to slather his body in his shower gel; just on the off chance he did resemble the ocean too much.

Everyone was already there except Mammon but a late entrance was to be expected. Em smiled sweetly at him and waved, however the chair next to her was occupied. Asmodeus seemed to be joined to her at the hip today for some reason, more than usual which was quite a feat, if he sat any closer he’d be sitting on her lap; the reverse position of Levi and her the day they made the pact with eachother.

Still trapped in each other's bodies, Lucifer didn’t even want to acknowledge Satan's presence, but kept glaring at the back of what was his own head. He wasn’t in a very good mood, yet again. Beelzebub sighed and grabbed several servings of food, piling it onto his plate as usual; doing his best to ignore the atmosphere in the room as he gorged himself. 

He shifted his gaze towards Asmodeus who was in turn piercing his salmon coloured orbs into the glutton as he ate, praying Beel wouldn’t say anything to Em before he could come clean about it himself.

Satan scowled at his own gloved hands and coughed, he really wanted to know more about what transpired in Hell's Kitchen yesterday but didn’t want to land Levi and Em into more trouble with the eldest sibling, caring more about Em’s comeuppance due to the current beef with his brother. 

_Ugh, maybe I should’ve sat this one out again. It’s so freakin’ awkward!_

A low yawning sound came from behind him and patted his shoulder; causing him to jump up like a startled kitten. “Uhhh mornin’ Levi.. your message woke me up but then I fell right back asleep.” His older brother had turned up to breakfast wearing a sloppy looking grey shirt and some slacks. “Mornin’.” He greeted everyone but Lucifer as he ambled towards the table, but Levi noticed a sprinkle of anxiety in his brother's tone and he was refusing to look in their oldest brother's direction.

_Even Mammon looks tense as hell._

“S-sorry, didn’t mean to wake you up.” The otaku awkwardly took his spot next to Beel, there really wasn’t any point asking Asmodeus to move from his place besides Em this morning; besides they’d already spent some quality time together so he’d let this one slide. The tension was almost painful as Levi grabbed his own helping and started to eat, all that could be heard was his glutton brothers more than obnoxiously loud chewing, slurping of drinks and cutlery clanging together. 

The Avatar of Wrath was the one to break the silence. “So Em.. I’ve got your game here with me, might I take a quick look at it when you play? The cover art drew my attention and the plot sounds...unique. You don’t mind, do you?” 

Em scraped the remainder of her breakfast onto a fork and shovelled it down in record time, barely swallowing before replying with much enthusiasm. “I’d be more than happy if you joined us! W-well actually you should ask, Harem King Levia-chan if it’s alright with him.”

It didn’t take long to break Mammon's somber mood and a deep belly laugh echoed throughout the awkward setting, creating an avalanche of amusement. “H-harem king Levia...chan? PFFFF How old are ya Levi! What the hell kinda stupid name is that! AHAHAH!” 

_Oh you’re back to your old self are you? We may have settled our differences but don’t think I’ll forget this._

_I even gave you the go ahead to confess to her first._

“I-I’ll have you know it’s a great name, I thought of it myself. And as someone who got one hundred percent on every otome game I’ve ever played, I think I deserve that title.” Levi curled his lip into a smug smile.

“Chan...chan…” Satan drummed his fingers on the table, slowly causing the vein on Lucifer's forehead to become more prominent as he tried to distract himself with another daily reading of The Morning Star. “Levi?” 

“Hmm?” Levi stopped eating and raised an eyebrow.

His introverted brother spoke inquisitively.“Isn’t chan the Japanese honorific for girls? Sorry, it’s just I read about Japanese culture when you first found it, and the language kanji? Or hiragana? It was one of them. Anyway, apparently that term is used for girls and between close friends that are female or things they find cute.” He chortled, Levi was rather cute in his own way; even though he was supposedly older than him. “So you think you’re cute, do you?”

“I uhhh.. uhh i-it wasn’t supposed to be like a narcissistic thing! Of course I don’t think I’m cute, I’m a manly man, I’m h-h-handsome r-right? And...ugh” Any attempt to explain his thought process would just make it worse. “S-SHUT UP! AND STOP EXPLAINING MY OWN NICKNAME TO ME!” The comment had obviously hit a nerve and Levi turned a dark red shade the more everyone else laughed at Satan’s little interrogation.

_Maybe Levia-kun would’ve been better?_

_Now both of them sound stupid. Thanks Satan, you ruined my nickname._

“S-sorry Levi..I didn’t mean to make fun of you! It’s a great name, it just caught me off guard when you first told me about it.” Em bowed her head in shame, she hadn’t meant to tease him too much on the nickname.

However the flirtatious demon next to her just had to get a dig at his older lovestruck brother for this one, and help reel him in for Em.“Awwwwwh Levi that’s so cute or as the Japanese say ko-way-ee! So what would Ems nickname be, I’m curious? Do you think she is ko-way-ee too? ~”

The red haired brother smirked at the couple, brimming with happiness at the information that had recently come to light. Only Em caught his smug expression from the corner of her eye.

_You’re butchering that pronunciation…_

_I’m not falling for that one either, not with the way Lucifer is burning a hole through that paper._

_But yes of course I do._

“That’s not how you say _kawaii_ Asmo… b-besides since when did any of you care about my handle!” He growled back across the table, choosing to completely disregard the obvious trap.

Em felt guilty that she’d caused another argument between everyone and slowly got up to request something to be made by the kitchen demons. The Avatar of Lust decided he couldn’t put off telling her any longer and followed after her, away from the chaos.

It looked like an odd conversation from Levi’s standpoint, the human girl raised her eyebrow at his brother, looked back at everyone eating; accidentally made eye contact with him again to which he smiled, and then Em and Asmodeus excused themselves to go to the bathroom. 

This was enough to get Lucifer to talk it seemed. “Asmodeus, I really hope you’re not planning on accompanying her for the entire journey.” He folded his paper and crossed his arms disapprovingly. “Humans need their privacy just as much as us.”

“Oh Luci of course I’m not! I’m just stretching my legs and I have to stop by my room for something too, we’ll be back ASAP!” The smaller brother glanced towards the girl. “You trust that I wouldn’t do anything like that, right Em..help me out here, my brothers all seem to think I’m a pervert or something~”

She thought back to a few nights ago when he insisted on browsing her panties drawer, for things that Levi might like her in.“Well-”

_You ARE a pervert!_

“But you’re always talking about that sort of stuff, and I remember the first week Em was here you kept trying to guess her... measurements?” Beelzebub lifted his head up from his plate and chimed in rather innocently, just because he was always stuffing himself didn’t mean it affected his hearing or memory. “You even asked me to trip you up so you could fall onto her and ‘get a good guess’!” He air quoted harshly with greasy hands, before licking them and turning back to his food now that he’d given his input.

Mammon slammed his fist down on the table in protest.“Oi! Is that true Asmo? Wait...is that why ya asked me to slip you some of her clothes? I thought ya just wanted to try them on or somethin’”

_And you believed him!? Please tell me you didn’t…_

Em looked at them both defeatedly, she knew that they were better than that nowadays of course, but it was still uncomfortable hearing about their sneaky plotting about something so personal. Plus they were still demons, creatures of sin and temptation.

“Oh come on! Surely I couldn’t have been the only one here that wasn’t a little curious? She hides them too well in her baggy clothes, I only really got a good look at the dance because her dress was low cut, and quite honestly she has got a lovely set of-” Moss coloured claws gripped the newspaper tighter across the table, causing him to shut up immediately. 

_How in Devildom can you claim not to be a pervert!_

_Oh I’m soooo glad I didn’t tell you about my secret like Beel suggested._

“Thank you for sharing….that information, Asmo. But we are all eating food right now and I’m sure Em herself doesn’t want to hear about how beautiful you think her body is over breakfast.” Satan scoffed, Levi was practically snarling like an animal, the knife twisted in his hand as he stabbed the bacon with his fork in the other hand; chewing with murderous intent.

_I wonder if I could get a good shot from here...but I might hit Em._

_I’ll get him another time. Alone._

“Well this has been...eye opening. But I’m gonna go to the restroom now so please excuse me.” She placed her cutlery down on the mostly empty plate, not surprisingly she’d lost her appetite after that.

“Wait Em, I can explain!” Asmodeus leapt out of his chair and grabbed Ems arm, whisking her out of the room and down the corridor before she even got a chance to move freely.

“W-wait don’t I ge- Asmo!” It was useless fighting him, everyone besides Lucifer stared after them as she was hauled away, Levi, Mammon and Beel gave each other a concerned look as to where Asmo was taking her and what they were doing.

* * *

_Ems POV_

As Em was dragged down the corridor with Asmodeus in the lead she began to feel rather nervous, all he’d said at breakfast was he really needed to talk to her about what happened yesterday, had something else to get off his chest and also couldn’t help but notice that her and Levi seemed to be on very good terms this morning. And then of course, the conversation devolved into things that shouldn’t really be deemed appropriate in front of your family..blood related or not.

He pulled them both into the common room and closed the door, making sure to double lock the room, causing Em to panic a little. What was happening right now? Had the demon finally given in to being the Avatar of Lust around her? Was this some out of season April Fools joke?

Whilst his attention was drawn somewhere else she eyed the closest thing next to her that could be used as a weapon, a candlestick; well it was better than nothing. Sure, he’d heal fast but it could still buy her a few seconds to unlock the door; and if that didn’t work she had three other demons that could be summoned within seconds.

She threw it behind her back and kept her eyes fixed on the demon, one strong swing should do it.

_Asmo, I won’t hesitate to use the pact against you if you try anything!_

The light framed brother stepped away from the door, but not before checking there weren’t any staff members cleaning around and it finally hit him how his behaviour had come across. “Oh! HAH No, no! You’re safe with me, don’t worry I’m not trying anything on you. I just wanted to make sure no-one could overhear us.” He giggled as the girl went crimson again and drew a cross mark on his chest to reassure her. “Just talking I promise, cross my heart and hope to die, I’d only ever do something if you wanted it.”

“O-okay…” She relaxed herself and sat down on the large red sofa.”Was what Beel said true? Did you really plan those things just to know my cup size?”

“I’m sorry Em..it’s true, but you know I genuinely care about you now, right? But to be honest with you I wanted to bring a lighter mood to the table, I thought it’d be funny, hell knows it’s awkward right now and sitting there in silence would have been boring!”

_That makes sense..I think._

_But please not at my expense..._

“I-I think I get it, but next time can you leave my...b-breasts out of it. And, is everything okay? You scared me last night with how you left my messages…what did you want to talk about?”

“I scared you? Em, I was at my wits end worried you and Levi didn’t have any protection; we really don’t want any demon babies..yet. In case that ever happens please let me know beforehand and I’ll order some to your door, just...maybe put a tie on the handle okay?~” He babbled on, trying to keep the conversation light humoured again, he was dreading telling her that he betrayed her trust and really hoped this wouldn’t mean losing her as a friend.

“W-w-what?!” She shrieked and almost fell off the sofa, her hand slipping off the armrest that was supporting her.

He laughed at the overreaction and stroked the top of her head. “That’s what you were doing last night right? You don’t have to lie to me;why else would you and him both ignore your messages all night! Wow..I never took you for such an impulsive girl, I thought you were a little kitten but really..you’ve got a wild side in there haven’t you!” 

_Asmo...you just apologized for this sort of thinking!_

“No no! I told you the date didn’t happen! I was actually really stupid…” Em began, but Asmodeus was too far gone and not listening to a word, succumbing to the curse of his Avatar.

“Well yeah! The date didn’t happen because you apparently thought screw the system, grabbed my brother and took him for yourself! Maybe I should be the one coming to you for tips….so how was it? Did he rock your world? Are you a couple now? The first time is never really good if I’m honest…”

_Please stop, nothi- the first time isn’t good? Really?_

_Wait, that’s not the issue here._

It was pointless trying to get him to listen in such a quiet tone, so she raised her voice; almost yelling.“ASMO, NOTHING HAPPENED!” That worked like a charm, he was so thrown off by the sudden outburst that he stopped in his tracks and let her get a word in. “I’m telling you the truth...yesterday we ended up going to find Mammon like I said, we took a raincheck on the date and then..”

_Should I tell him? That I know about the war? No...it was traumatic enough for Levi, I really don’t want to cause any pain for Asmodeus either._

_“_ -And then we had an argument, i-it was all my fault but we made up! And..Levi ended up spending the night” The demons eyes twinkled at those words and the girl sighed, resigning herself back to the sofa. “Not like that..he slept on the floor, I slept in my bed.”

Asmodeus felt his frustration starting to bubble inside him, he really wished Em would just grab his brother and have her way with him, at the very least she should’ve asked Levi to join her in her bed; even if it was platonically; it would’ve meant progress with the couple, but he digressed. She was a good person, but like Levi she was going to require a push in the right direction. “Well I’m glad you two made up, what was the argument about though? Oh it wasn’t something stupid about his animé or that game with the...cute...monster things right?”

“I’m sorry...it’s kind of a secret. It’s not my place to say, I hope you understand.”

He whined, this slow burn was barely even a flicker and they’d been at this for months now, just how long was it going to take them to become a couple. Levi certainly wasn’t getting any younger...or older. “Ugh...Em you’re killing me here! “ Stamping his feet and throwing his hands down was the only way to express his aggravation. "There was no date, no wild night, not even a little confession? Or even a kiss? Just a tiny tiny peck is all I’m asking at this point~”

“I’m sorry Asmo...I-I’m still not sure on confessing my feelings for him. After that argument I really started to have my doubts.” The model demon was at his wits end with her, but he had to be patient; especially before spilling the beans about his little drunken ramble with Beel a few days prior. He said nothing and took a seat next to her, preparing for the drama. Drama...that was something even he had enough of in this house, it felt like lately all that happened was a series of unfortunate events.

She started to suspect something as soon as he went quiet and just took a seat next to her, staring down at the floor. It was giving her a sense of dejavu from the bad news on the bench. “Alright Asmo...what’s up? You go all quiet when you’ve got something bad to tell me and I don’t like it, it doesn’t suit you at all”

“Ugh..it’s nothing bad per say but uhh, you know how Beel and I drank until really late the other night after Levi took you home?” She said nothing but nodded curiously in response. “Well...I might have gotten a little drunk and told him about...y-your crush on Levi.” Worry instantly slapped the curious expression on her face as the panicking set in, right on cue.

“YOU TOLD HIM!? ASMO, HE’S SUPER CLOSE WITH LEVI! WHAT IF HE TELLS HIM!” It was all over for her, she’d never be able to face her best friend ever again; it was all out in the open. Beel was definitely going to tell Levi the first chance he got. “Oh my god, oh my god, this is it. I’m going to have to move out to Purgatory Hall for real this time!” in her panicking state, she completely forgot the use of God was frowned upon in the Devildom. “I can’t believe you told him! HOW MUCH DID YOU DRINK?!”

_No wonder Beel was smirking at me at breakfast earlier!_

“Em! CALM DOWN! He hasn’t said anything,I don’t think? Has Levi said anything to you about it?” This girl really needed to calm down, it was like the group retreat realization all over again. “I don’t think Beel would spill the tea if I’m honest, he’s always been an honorable guy; yeah I know we’re demons but I don’t think he’d betray you like that, he even told me he didn’t like sticking his nose in peoples business like I do...which by the way hurt my feelings!” 

_H-he’s right, I don’t think Beel breathed a word about what we talked about in Hell's Kitchen._

_Hang on a second...did Beel know how I felt about Levi back then? He did ask me some really specific questions about him.._

“Asmo..how did this come up in conversation?”

“We were just talking and then Beel, asked about you...and then we started to talk about why you and Levi would make a good couple” Em raised her eyebrow, there was no way Beel was the one to start gossiping. “Okay okay, I started talking about it and he just sat there listening to me. I’m so sorry Em! I didn’t mean to tell him, it just slipped out...I’m used to working my lips, but in a different sense~. For some reason when I drink too much it’s like they have a mind of their own.” 

The human girl was oddly silent a few moments, and then she cleared her throat. “It’s alright...to be honest, I’m starting to suspect if Beel already knew? He...asked me some strange questions one lunchtime..just before I got my haircut actually.” She flicked her raven hair behind her shoulder, still not used to the change in weight on her neck. 

“Really?” Memories of his talk with the glutton came flooding back, Beel had out-rightly expressed that he had some sort of indication of her feelings for their brother. “Actually yeah, he did say that...oh well! I’m sure it’s not as bad as you think Em, see it as a good thing! You have someone else to gush about Levi too now, and Beel is close with him so that means more insider information for you~”

“I..I guess? I just, I should really talk to him about it shouldn’t I?”

“Is it really so bad if Levi finds out how you feel?” He asked.

_After what Belphie said to me yes, I’m really surprised I was able to stay calm after that._

_But his words really hurt._

“Yes. Because after that argument I feel like I don’t deserve to...and the way I spoke to him. I can’t tell you exactly what I said but it was bad, Asmo. And I feel like a horrible person for it because he was only trying to do the right thing…” her attention diverted to search for a clock on the wall, but there wasn’t one. “Hang on, how long have we been here?”  
  
“Em you’re allowed to argue with him, hell you need to yell at him sometimes to get the point across. Just like you did with me just now! And you’re only human, literally! You’re still learning and growing into a gorgeous girl, plus after that dick in the human realm you’re right to have some..concerns when it comes to Levi. But I’m telling you now, my brother would never hurt you, not on purpose.”He trailed off before her question sunk in.

“Uhhh, one second.” Asmo reached into his pocket and pulled out a cerise coloured phone. “Oh yikes! We’ve been gone for awhile...well, we should probably head back. I think the others will just be finishing their breakfast now.” He winced, he hadn’t meant to keep her here for that long and thankfully she had managed to eat something before she was dragged here. “I’m really sorry again… for telling Beel, I really didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay.. It’s a lot to keep to yourself, I’m just glad you came and told me first.” She patted his arm to reassure him.

The facade finally dropped, and he lowered his head, the mousy brown curls of his hair flopping forward. “Are you sure? You can yell at me properly if you want you know, there’s no need to hold back. To be honest.. I was a bit worried you weren’t going to speak to me again. I know I can be a bit full on but I was nervous! I really do care for you, maybe more than myself? You’re like a sister to me, and I can’t promise anything because of my curse but I’ll try to stop making innuendos all the time if it really does bother you.” 

Em was speechless, she knew Asmodeus put on a bit of a happy mask but she hadn’t realized he was so worried about her reaction, but he was very good at hiding his true intentions. “Oh Asmo...come here! You don’t have to change yourself for my sake, your avatar is part of who you are and sure..it can be a bit scary to me but it would be incredibly weird for you to all of sudden become more like Satan” She wrapped her arms around the small man and stroked his back, causing him to shudder. “And don’t be silly, you could never lose me as a friend..u-unless you really did try something with me…A-anyway we should probably head back before they send out a search party for me and a witch hunt for you!”

_Plus I need to get my otome game from Satan!_

_I never thought I’d be thinking that sentence in my life._

Asmodeus stretched his arms. “You’re right, we should get back now, but thank you for not tossing me away Em, I don’t care about many others but I actually think I’d be a little upset if I couldn’t give you makeovers or take you shopping anymore. Oh! Speaking of, I want you to keep your schedule cleared the day before your birthday.” They both got to their feet and she was grateful when he unlocked the door, both stepping out of the common room; picking up the pace as they neared the dinner hall again.

"Okay, but promise you're not going to make a big thing of it..."

"See now that, I can't promise~"

As they both turned the corner they noticed everyone was still there well apart from Lucifer, he seemed to have eaten half his serving and then left his paper there.

_Even Lucifer probably feels awkward around his brothers right now. And I can’t blame him, but that man is..a mystery to say the least. He’s so hard to work out._

“Oh you’re back! You were both gone a while, we were just about to come lookin’ for ya” Mammon chuckled, after Lucifer had left they’d been tempted to search the house for them but Beelzebub had reassured them that Asmodeus wouldn’t do anything inappropriate to Em and reminded them of their pacts, if they were needed she could summon them within seconds.

“Yes I was just about to come and knock on your door in case you’d headed straight back to your room, here is that game. Now I was rudely interrupted before you were able to answer but, may I join you? Only for an hour or so.” Satan produced a small rectangular box, on the cover was an animé-esque looking woman with bright blue eyes and long rose coloured hair. She was wearing a sky blue blazer, a white collared shirt, blue and white plaid shirt and a red bow tied around the shirt.

“LOL typical otome cover, look there’s the school in the background..but kind of weird that there’s no LIs shown. Are they on the back?” Levi made himself known again, and gestured towards his bookworm brother; they still hadn’t made up but in the company of Em they’d act somewhat civilly for her sake.

“Oh is this that game you were goin’ on about, Em?” Mammon piped up. He glanced at the cover and pulled a skeptical frown, this game sounded oddly morbid. “Doggy Magic Memorial? Damn..that sounds like a sad game…” Raising his voice as he threw an accusatory glance towards his brother. “Oi! Levi! What’ve you got her playin’ stuff like that for? They _make_ things like this in Japan? And people buy it? What the hell is wrong with you!”

Beelzebub, Satan, Em and Asmodeus all stood there not wanting to involve themselves with the two bickering. The human girl had learned long ago if they were going at each other then it was best to let them sort it out between themselves.

“W-what?! Are you really that stupid you can’t even read? It says right there! Dogi Magic Memorium. You idiot!” Levi lost his temper, Mammon had obviously barely glanced at the cover before jumping to obscene conclusions.

“So..there’s no dogs? And no memorials? Well alright..I’ll let this slide.” The dog loving demon folded his arms, content with that fact. If there really was a game about that topic he’d make sure to visit Japan himself and give the game developers some hell.

“Let what slide! Why the hell would someone make a game like that? I know the Japanese make some strange things; even I’ll agree with you there but they’d never make something so damn disturbing!..a-at least I hope they wouldn’t. Besides! Em bought this game, not me!” Desperate to defend himself, and his beloved favourite country in the human world, Levi pouted at Em like a little puppy dog, and she couldn’t resist that face.

_Oh come on...that’s not fair!_

The whipped girl interrupted, coming to Levi’s defence.“He’s right Mammon, I bought it for myself, and no..it’s not about dogs. It’s an otome game! You’re welcome to join us, if you’re wanting to make sure? Satan’s coming to take a look too...oh!” She extended the gesture at the Avatar of Lust and Greed who’d just zoned out, after thousands of years of the same arguing daily, you tended to have seen it all. “You’re all free to come and play!”

_He’d never come but..maybe I should ask Lucifer too. A little time bonding with them all might just be exactly what the doctor ordered._

_I’ll text him when we get back to my room._

* * *

_“Oh...that’s weird, it’s an otome game but it requires 5 players? I’ve never heard of a multiplayer dating sim before, that’s a first even for me.”_ Levi stared into the back of the box as Em set everything up, Beelzebub and Asmodeus had declined the invitation to come, they had other things to talk about; and Asmo wasn’t really interested when Leviathan had stated that there was no secret “H” route. _“But why five…? That’s such a weird number…”_

The negative reviews for the game were starting to make sense, people were probably irritated at the bizarre player number requirement and wanted to trash talk the game to get their money back, but it was a bit far-fetched to assume that you couldn’t escape the thing. “ _Maybe it’s a glitch.._ ” he muttered to himself. “ _Or maybe it’s an experiment to get people to be more social? I can’t wrap my head around it, that is SUCH a strange requirement…”_

“Levi? Everything okay?” Em turned around hearing him muttering away to himself under his breath, it wasn’t like him to not be interested in a new game. Something was off. “We’re setting up now but we need one more player...I’m..I’m going to ask Lucifer if he-”

“Ask me what?” Speaking of the demon, it was Lucifer. He’d come to have a talk with Em about her failing attendance, why Leviathan was in her room that early and what had really happened yesterday, the girl was ill far too often and they made sure when she was first brought in that her diet and nutritional requirements were met, even going as far as sneaking extra iron into her servings to ensure the lack of sunlight wasn’t causing ill health.

Everyone, besides Satan leapt to their feet, caught off guard from the sudden voice behind them, but they didn’t say anything; only Em welcomed his presence. “Oh Lucifer! I was just about to text you!”

“Hmm?” He placed a hand on his chest and glared at his brothers.“Why, what's happened? Has Levi, or one of the others done something?”

The otaku rolled his eyes, of course he’d be singled out, that was nothing new. Mammon just stood there awkwardly looking at his shoes, he didn’t really want to talk or be around Lucifer after yesterday and Satan still wasn’t happy about the body swapping and spat out air to express his disinterest in talking to him. “Hmph.”

_Oh lord, this is still super awkward. But Lucifer, your passive aggression towards Levi, and Satan..you don't really help the situation._

Sensing the increasing demon power, and testosterone in the air, Em grabbed the controller and pressed flicked to the correct channel. There it was, a rather empty looking title screen with the words DOGI MAGI MEMORIUM plastered across it in bright yellow font, and in the background five blank silhouettes. Mammon edged closer to the screen.

“Mammon, what are you doing?” Satan, facepalmed. 

“Eh? I’m just makin’ sure there’s no dogs or cemeteries in the background there…” Levi pulled him back and sat them both on the side of Ems bed. 

“You idiot..I already told you! It’s a freakin’ dating game!” he sighed, it was going to be a very long weekend, the game would probably be around 20 hours long and that was with the bonus content included. A bit overpriced if he was honest, but he was happy Em was finally getting to experience a game like this, Magic Messenger had obviously been a bit of a disappointment in terms of content she wanted. He peered his amber eyes at the title screen, it was getting weirder. “Okay, just press start Em, it should bring up an introduction or something. I’m..not sure how this multiplayer thing is going to work though.”

“Okay, a-actually Levi you do it! You know what you’re doing. I just need to grab a drink, would anyone like a snack or anything?” Everyone shook their heads, they had only just eaten breakfast but of course Em had been dragged away before she could finish her meal. She passed him the controller. “Just don’t start without me!”

“Oh wait, Em, what do you want to be called? Do you want me to make a name up like Emi-chan or something?”

“Pff, anything but that please!” The girl ran full speed out of the room and hurried to the kitchen as fast as her legs could carry her. She ripped the fridge door open and swiped a bunch of snacks and drinks, anything she could carry in two arms.

Meanwhile in her bedroom..

“Oi! Are you really gonna call me that?!” The silver haired demon wasn’t happy. “Stupidmammon? Really? What’ve I ever done to you!”

“That’s payback for thinking I’d recommend something horrible for her to play!” Levi pulled his tongue out immaturely and finalized the name. “Okay, next one..Lucifer? Are you playing?” He expected an immediate no, but his brother actually seemed to be giving it some thought.

“I suppose I’ll have to, besides maybe it will be fun.” The others looked at him as if he’d just spat on the floor. “Hmm? Oh come on, I get bored too you know.”

“R-right okay..Lucifer. You’re entered. Satan? I’ll just be boring with you too I guess.” That comment earned Levi a harrumph. “Okay...now me...Levia-chan it is.” Just one name remained.

“Oi, don’t be giving Em anything stupid or insulting!”

“I WOULDN’T DO THAT!” Levi yelled a bit too passionately, causing Lucifer's eyebrow to twitch at the reaction, just friends indeed. “I’ll put Em.C.” He giggled, feeling proud of himself.

“What’s so funny about that?” Satan asked, genuinely curious; he didn’t understand the joke.

“Oh come on!” The purple haired man sighed. “Em.C...M..C! MC! It’s what the protagonists in otome games are known to be called, and funnily enough her initials work perfectly!” He beamed at his witty pun.

Just in time for his own love interest to return from the kitchen. “Oh thank Mephisto you did as I said, I was worried I’d miss the OP or the intro!” She squeezed herself between him and Mammon and laughed at the name. “See, that’s why I asked you to put the names in, what’s everyone else called?” 

“I’m Stupidmammon.” The unhappy demon next to her mumbled. “Lucifer is Lucifer and Satan is Satan...and oh you’ll never guess what Levi called himself.”

 _Oh...I can take one guess._  
  
“Levia-chan?” She groaned but chuckled, it was a cute name she’d admit that, it was just a tiny bit cringey to refer to a 20 something looking old, immortal demon by.

“The one and only!” He flashed his trademark smile at her and she swooned internally. “Okay, you can do the honors.” Levi passed her the controller and everyone got comfortable, she pressed the start button and… there was a sudden flash from the screen and a bright light engulfed them all.

A controller fell to the cold floor, leaving her room empty.

* * *

_Did the TV blow up? What the hell happened?_

Her vision cleared, only it didn’t really clear up where she was right now. It resembled some sort of waiting room at the doctors, everything was chrome or white. Except for the bodies on the floor around her. “Oh guys! Are you okay?” There was an echo from her voice, almost like she was in a deep tunnel underground or something. 

Lucifer and Satan woke up first, both equally as puzzled but Satan laughed. “Ah, it must have been the spell wearing off, he looked at Lucifer who was sadly still in his body. “Oh...strange…” 

“Yes, strange. We seem to still be in eachothers bodies, now how do we get out of here?” Lucifer glanced upwards, there was nothing but a pitch black void.

Mammon was the next one to awaken. “Nnggh my head..well it ain’t the first time I’ve woken up feelin’ like this on a weekend!” He dusted his jacket off and straightened his shades, and finally with a gasp of air Leviathan came back to the realm of the living.

“Oh..d-did helene find us maybe? Maybe we were teleported to another labyrinth?” It was going to be a very boring labyrinth if that were the case, there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Just a huge black screen infront of them.

“Welcome to DOGI MAJI MEMORIUM” a girlish voice giggled, sending shivers down everyone's spine. “This game is rated 16+ and is sponsored by Crunchybun. Please remain still whilst the game loads.”

“W-what?” Mammon's eyes shrunk. “Oi! Did that thing just say we’re in the game?” 

“I...I don’t know..” Em looked towards the others, but Levi seemed to be staring straight ahead, looking bewildered at something.

“It...it’s true...look.” He pointed at the screen in front of them, it was now active and what looked to be a loading screen was on the display however, the blank silhouettes from the games box art were now filled in with familiar looking faces and the rose coloured haired female from the box art had also been replaced by someone else. “That..that’s us! WE’RE THE GAME’S LI’S and Em, you’re...the MC!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here we are guys! I FILLED this chapter with memes, references, took jabs at myself through the writing and hopefully the humour is pretty good too!
> 
> Yes that's actually the reason I chose Emilia Cartel as her name!  
> So I actually changed this arc a lot, I thought it'd be more fun if they actually weren't intended to get trapped in the game, something I wasn't a fan of ingame was the fact they just conveniently had the answer for Lucifer and Satan to start talking again, plus in my fic we also have Mammon falling out with them so I had to twist it.
> 
> I hope you're strapped in to your seat, the otome arc is going to be poking fun at the genre and I'll be sure to litter it with more references and so SO much fluff.
> 
> On a completely unrelated note: Levi's song is adorable and I am a happy Leviastan! (totally didn't picture him singing it about Em...not at all!)


	53. Dogi Magi Memoriam

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Levi is separated from the others as they are zapped into the world of the otome game.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My apologies for the chapters length, there is a lot of set up in this.

They stared endlessly at the images on the huge screen, it wasn’t an illusion or a glitch; Ems face really was there, along with all of them. Levi thought his vision was going or something as rather faint text started to bleed through next to everyone’s profile.

“Hmmm..” Satan scrunched his eyes up as he tried to focus, lifting his leg to begin to take a step. “I need a closer look, it’s a shame I didn’t bring my reading glasses”

“Tsk, can you not follow anyones instructions brother? The strange voice said we have to remain still” Lucifer sighed in irritation, though he’d be lying if he wasn’t curious what the text said too.

The others just stayed silent, unsure of what was to come but they wouldn’t have to wait long to find out.

“Thank you for remaining still during the scan process, the game will now begin. Have fun!” The high pitched voice announced, and before anyone could react a beam of light hit each of them, almost blindingly bright.

And then everything went black.

_A-am I dead?_

_Wait..i-is that…a bird singing? And that smell..._

Levi peeled his eyes open and almost lost his footing at the beautiful sight before him. A pale blue sky, not a cloud in sight swept across the horizon, trees in varying hues of orange, golden, maroon and pinks formed an almost military line down the street. Even the ground underneath him felt alien compared to the worn down stone of the Devildom, it was concrete pavement, red brick slotted in place and not a scratch on it.

The scent of freshly cut grass seeped through him in the gentle breeze, and masked underneath were more subtle odors like the smoke from car engines, a faint hint of freshly baked bread lingered in the atmosphere, it was all so calm and peaceful compared to the constant bustling activity of his own realm.

But he couldn’t stop staring up at the sky, how long had it been since he’d been able to soak in the feeling of sun in his face, the warmth on his back and the fresh air. At least ten years? Maybe it was pushing twenty now? 

He’d lost track. Diavolo had invoked the portal ban not long ago, after Mammon abused the system far too much and caused mayhem in the human realm, along with Asmodeus who’d cause issues on a more domestic level.

The strict curfew meant that he didn’t tend to ask for permission much when he needed it, just the odd human animé convention here and there or a Zaramela concert, his visits to the human realm were always rushed, if he was ever late his oldest brother would have caused hell for him and dragged him back themselves. And on one occasion he’d even paid an insane amount of grimm to be the first in line for her online concert, not the smartest train of thought he’d ever had but it made him happy to support the artist.

But every time that he’d ventured through that portal, it was never in his mindset to actually take in that freedom, feel the fresh air in his deprived lungs, the sun beaming down at him and just the whole presence of being out of the Devildom; surrounded by lesser demons and hateful looks got tiring and it was part of what scared him about venturing out of the house.

He glanced down at his hands; was this really how pale and sickly he looked in sunlight? It was almost a grey marble colour; the life of a shut in had obviously not been kind to him, especially without any source of vitamin D present.

However the examination took a sudden turn, his hands were very pale indeed but this wasn’t what he was wearing when they were in Ems room. Levi pulled on the cuff of his sleeve, it was sky blue in colour and the fabric felt heavy, almost like the RAD uniform. Looking down at himself there was also a red school tie dangling from his collar.

_Wait a second, if we’re in an otome game…_

_Oh no.._

“Guys? Are you all weari-” He flicked his head around expecting to see everyone else all looking equally as impressed and confused with their new surroundings, but there was no one there. The others must have been separated from him and logically it made sense, in otome games the love interests tended to have their own stories and tended to meet the protagonist in different circumstances by themselves. “But..what do I do? I don’t see the school we’re supposed to be attending, I wonder if...my DDD still works here..” The confused otaku patted the blue blazer for his phone and felt some sort of rectangular device in the inner pocket and blindly pulled out a phone, but it looked different. His phone was blue, this strange looking device was almost matching his hair colour.  
  
But there was one thing that worried him more...

_WHERE IS MY GOLDFISH KEYCHAIN?!_

The small fish plush was missing, there was nothing attached to the bottom of the phone and Levi felt his heart almost stop. But he was certain he’d clipped it back on after the incident at the café. There had to be some sort of mistake, or maybe it had come off in his pocket? Feeling panic set in he reached around his navy pants pocket, but they were empty. 

_No no no, I- I’ve lost it! How could I lose it!_

_And why is my phone purple all of a sudden!_

Angrily and full of despair about losing Ems gift he switched on the device. “Huh?” Nothing was recognizable, his Ruri-chan wallpaper was missing, the apps looked completely different too, even Karasu the AI program was nowhere to be found. “Contacts...okay...that’s a start. Wait. WHAT?!” 

List of contacts:  
  
0

 _WTF?!_ _DID IT WIPE MY CONTACT LIST?!_

Everything was completely blank, no missed calls, no contacts or messages from anyone, however before the panic could continue to set in, a lone text message came through which puzzled him even further. “Who the hell is texting me if I don’t have any contacts?”

_“Greetings, Player name: Levia-chan. Welcome to Dogi Magi Memoriam!_

_During your scan we selected a backstory for you to use freely if you wish to opt into Roleplay mode. If you select this mode your experience will better suit the character you are portraying. This is turned off by default but if you would like to change from Free Will mode, you can find the game settings on the gear icon in the top right of your phone._

_WARNING: Roleplay mode is still in beta testing and you may experience loss of consciousness, headaches, nausea or physical disassociation._

_Roleplay Backstory: Your character was always shy as a young child and preferred to be alone, one day you were saved from bullies by your childhood best friend Player name: Em. C but were unable to confess your feelings before moving overseas due to your Fathers job. Luckily you just moved back to your old hometown after many years and will be starting school at the_ _Hiyu Academy._ _Player name: Em.C is also attending the same school and will be reunited with you on_ _Day 1_ _around noon._

 _Free Will mode: Please make your way to the Hiyu Academy_ _dormitory_ _where you will be reunited with the other players.”_

“What the hell was the point in separating us if we’re all just going to meet up there then? This game is stupid, the developers clearly didn’t think anything through.”

_C-childhood friend?! NOOOOOO that’s the doomed otome trope! The childhood friend never wins!_

_Only an idiot or a huuuuuge nerd would turn RP mode on, I’ll stay the hell away from that, thank you very much game! Especially if it’s still buggy as hell, seriously what even are those side effects?_

_Ugh… and Hiyu Academy...really? Are you serious?_

_Em.. when we get back to the real world remind me to write up a review for this game._

_“The events of the game will last a week, your goal is to work hard to increase your intimacy meter as high as possible with Player name: Em.C and fend off any other rivals for the duration of the game, on the last day of your playthrough after the graduation ceremony, players can confess their love for player name: Em.C on the_ _Roof of Legend_ _, if they accept your love, you win the game._

 _If you or any other player_ **_does not_ ** _confess or didn’t score high enough, you lose and_ **_will face penalties._ **

_Anything that belonged to you in the real world has been saved in your inventory for safekeeping and any device you may have had has been switched out for an ingame phone. You may call anyone on your contact list once per day, and after the events of each day you and your fellow players will be given access to a group chat system which can also help boost your intimacy. To add contacts you have to meet them in the game and raise your intimacy with them high enough to be considered as a friend._

_Would you like to learn more about the Intimacy Meter System? (IMS) Please hold your device up to your mouth and speak clearly, responding with "Yes" to get more information or "No" to skip the tutorial.”_

_Once per day?! That’s useless! Ugh, I hate these stupid otome game phones… and they took my keyring? What the hell is the point in that? And what do they mean by penalties? If you’ve completed the game then why would anything matter after that?_

_Ugh..how do I access my inventory! I want my keyring back!_

After coming to terms with the fact apparently the game thought he was perfect to be given the worst troped character, Levi resigned himself to his cursed fate, even if he wasn’t roleplaying it made him feel hopeless. “Yes.” He answered in a monotone, but the device stayed on the same screen making an error sound as text popped up ‘Unable to detect player voice’. 

“ _YES_ ” Levi said louder, kissing the speaker of the phone. Unfortunately he received another pop up message on the screen. ‘Please speak clearly into the microphone.’

“I AM! YES, YES! YES! **Y E S** ! TAKE ME TO THE DAMNED TUTORIAL!”  
  
‘You have chosen to skip the tutorial, your device will remain on standby until you request access again, good luck and please rate our product five stars.’ The device’s screen turned into a pixel emote waving with little zzz’s and then went dark. 

“What?! NO! I SAID YES!... Ugh… great, now what do I do?” He stared at the useless device wondering if it had said anything useful apart from sealing his doom and ignoring his demands. The game seemed to have a few glitches so far, which backed up the claims from the reviewers on readdit.

“Stupid piece of s#@@!” Levi’s cussing came out of his mouth but didn’t sound anything like the word he wanted to use, it was as if someone had taken his voice box and shook it up on a higher frequency like a beeping sound. 

_What the hell?! Is this a glitch too?_

“#@#!, @#1###?!...#@!@” It was a repetitive glitch if the sailor mouthed demon was right, suddenly the seemingly dead device in his hand flashed red and a warning symbol appeared on screen.

_This is a warning for Player: Levia-chan. Further use of foul language will result in an ingame penalty._

“Are you serious? So I can’t even curse?...Can I at least THINK of the word?”

_Shit. Asshole._

Nothing happened. It seemed like the game didn’t invade his cognition or inner thoughts, and it was certainly a relief that he wasn’t banned from thinking about the words he wanted to use right now, but he’d have to keep that in mind. What did it mean by ingame penalties? 

“Well..there’s no use in worrying about this, I have to find the others. The message mentioned the school, surely the building has to be close by if they teleported me here?” Glad that the awkward ordeal was over with, Levi happily pushed the device back into his blazer pocket and followed the bricked pavement towards a fork in the road. 

The otaku scanned both paths, they both looked like carbon copies of each other. “I’ll take the right side.” He stepped forward confidently and instantly smacked into something with full force sending him back a few paces.”H-huh?” After blinking rapidly in confusion at the innocent looking street ahead of him, Levi stepped forward again; but slower and stretched his arm out. After a certain distance his finger tapped against an invisible barrier, perhaps there was a way to break the shield with a heavy enough impact? Rather conveniently, there was a pebble on the ground next to him.

_I wonder if…_

Levi leant over to pick the pebble up but his hand phased right through it, at this point he was done and gritted his teeth in frustration, pulling out the phone from his pocket again. “Please access my inventory…Pick up the pebble! PRESS X TO PICK PEBBLE!” There was no sign of movement or anything happening.

 _Time to bring out the big guns..._  
  
“UP, UP, DOWN, DOWN, LEFT, RIGHT, LEFT, RIGHT, B, A, Start!” He was almost on the verge of tears or pulling his hair out in frustration. “Just...TELL ME WHAT TO DO! HELP ME!”

“O-oi Levi! Is that you?!” A familiar voice called out from behind him, and Levi didn’t think he’d ever been so happy to hear his older brother's accent in his entire life. Shooting his head around at lightning speed it was confirmed, his older brother was leaning against one of the trees on the left side of the street looking rather amused from seeing the self proclaimed “harem-king” struggling with the most basic of controls. Funny considering how often Levi bragged about being good at these sort of games, yet here he was having a breakdown over a rock.

“Mammon! Oh I don’t think I’ve ever been so happy...or at all happy...to see you!” He whined and ran over to his brother, completely forgetting about the pebble or the invisible barrier. “This game sucks! I accidentally skipped over the tutorial, there’s an inventory system even though it’s an otome game and I can’t access it, you can’t curse AND you can’t pick items up! When we get out of here I’m giving this game a fat big 0 on the review board! They’ll have to refund Em every single cent of grimm when I’m done with them!”

“Heh, I thought you said you were an expert at these games Levi?” The white haired demon grinned proudly and produced his own yellow device, clearing his throat. “Ahem..Hiyu Academy, oh and while we’re here.. Send friend request to player name: Levia-chan.”

The gamers own device started beeping, throwing a look of bewilderment at his brother and at the screen at the same time, he almost forgot the no cursing rule and accepted the friend request. “How the hell did YOU of all demons figure out to work this thing!”

“Hehehe, well for starters I was able to get into the tutorial! Oh right, and I got this backstory thingamajiggy, wanna see?”

“Backstory: Your character has always struggled with following rules and started hanging out with a bad crowd, after getting into a knife fight with another gang your parents were at their wits end and decided to place you in a prestigious school where they hope you could learn a few things about responsibilities. If you have selected RP mode you will meet Player name: Em.C on Day 1 after 6pm near the store: Konbini. “ Leviathan studied his brother for a few seconds, Mammon's hair was still messy but he had a scar on his lip and a bandage across his nose. 

“Wait, tell me you’re not on roleplay mode…?”Then it hit him that his brother wasn’t wearing the same uniform as him, there was no blazer, just a black leather jacket with a worn out white shirt underneath and dark pants with chains draped over his waist.”LOL are you the delinquent type? HAHAH You’ve even got the yakuza scar! Oh now THIS is classic otome.”

“Huh? Oh nah, it was sorta temptin’ though to be honest with ya and Oi! ‘least I didn’t skip the tutorial after claimin’ to be a gamin’ expert. Watch and learn _Levia-chan._ ” The yakuza wannabe returned the mocking with his own jab and stomped over to the lone pebble and knelt down which caused his chains to clink against the biker boots. He extended his arm out looking like he was about to cast a spell if this was a fantasy game. 

And after a few moments the pebble gravitated towards his hand, earning a pissed off look from Levia-chan and a smug expression from Mammon as he waved it around proudly, clearly enjoying this far too much. “Not much of an expert now, are ya?”

“W...what!” Levi glared at him in disbelief, he’d tried every possible way to interact with objects in the world so how in Devildom or whatever country this game was located in did his oaf of an older brother figure the system out so quickly. “M-my character must be bugged or something because I tried EVERYTHING to grab that, even the Momani code which is the ultimate cheat code by the way.”

“Yeah but ya skipped the tutorial genius, it’s really easy! You’ve just gotta hover your hand over the item you wanna do stuff with and think of the action. Here, try it.” The white haired tsundere dropped the pebble back on the ground and gestured towards his younger sibling.

_Okay..but if this doesn’t work then I’m definitely leaving a bad review or a post on social media._

Following his brother's instructions, he cast all of his attention onto the insignificant stone, all this work just to pick one item up that he probably would never even need to use? He pictured the words clearly in his mind and as if his hand suddenly became a magnet, there it was in his grasp.”I-I’m calling hax! I tried that earlier!” 

_Okay...I’m lying, I never thought to actually hold my hand over the damn thing._

_But to think that Mammon beat me to working out the gaming mechanics? It’s an insult to my otaku status!_

“Well obviously ya didn’t try hard enough” 

“Ugh..whatever, we’re going to be late for animé school anyway.” Levi rolled his eyes and looked down the path that his brother appeared from. “Do you know the way?”  
  
“Yeah, I think so! Weird how there’s no map or anythin’ though, aren’t there normally in these sorta games?” His brother scratched his head, trying to access the device. “Ehh directions to animé school?”  
  
“Mammon..it’s not actually called animé school. It was a joke!”

“O-oh WELL WHY DIDN’T YA JUST SAY THAT! Whatever let’s get goin’ already! I don’t get to meet Em till later so I guess I can just do whatever until then, right?”  
  
“A-are you sure you read your message properly? You only meet Em at those timed events if you’re on roleplay game mode, I think you just come to the dorms with me and hopefully everyone else will be there too.” Levi smirked all knowingly, but being the only one who paid any attention to this sort of thing he knew he’d be suffering for it the entire game and have to constantly remind his brothers about the game rules and events if the game worked that way.

“Well I’m sorry for not being a huge nerd like you.” Mammon rolled his eyes and laughed half heartedly.The two brothers continued walking until they saw a group of figures, they were all wearing similar uniforms to Levi.

 _O-other players? But how would an MMO Otome game work.. I don’t think AIgamer mentioned that in their review.._ _  
__  
_“Hey Mammon, go up to one of those girls and I dunno...flirt with them or something, they might know where to go.”

“Eh? Why?”  
  
“Just do it.” Pointing at cute looking girls silhouettes to the right of the seemingly endless red brick wall, they were huddled up outside of a store window that seemed to sell hats and shoes. Leviathan had a hunch, but there was no way he could go up to some random strangers and start a conversation so would happily throw his elder brother under the bus.

“Alright…” His brother obeyed his command and Levi laughed at the ridiculous get up once again as the chains were creating so much noise. Upon approaching the in uniform girls Mammon puffed up his chest and smiled brazenly whilst eyeing up the brunettes purse. “Hey ladies, cute lookin’ bag!” He winked, maybe there would be a chance to steal it if she was distracted enough.”Could I maybe get directions to the Academy, or the dorms? My bro and I are lost and-”

The tallest of the trio smiled, acknowledging Mammon's presence like she was fixed to only him, she flashed her cognac eyes at him and giggled. “Oh my gosh you’re...Stupidmammon! We’ve heard all about you..i-is it even safe for you to be out in the open like this?”

Stupidmammon have a forced smile in return to the girl. “Eh heh..yeah THAT’S ME.” Before turning back to Levi with a curled lip. “And this is my nerdy little brother _Levia-chan_.” He patted his younger brother on the back a little too roughly. “Don’t be shy, say hi.”

“W-what are you- uhh h-hi...did you all get zapped in here too? How many players did you have? Oh and how do you know our names, we don’t see any gamertags over you.”

The brunette opened her mouth and a ominously robotic voice came out. “Null reference exception. Syntax error found. 01001100 01100101 01110110 01101001 01100001 01110100 01101000 01100001 01101110 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100010 01100101 01110011 01110100 00100000 01100010 01101111 01111001 00101110-” The numbers continued endlessly, with no sign of stopping whilst the other girls carried on talking inaudibly as if they’d reset back to their former state.

The otaku frowned in concern, had she been disconnected due to lag spikes or something? “Uhhh m-miss? A-are you okay?” 

“01010011 01101111 01101100 01101111 01101101 01101111 01101110 00100000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01100001 00100000 01110011 01101001 01101101 01110000-” She carried on spitting numbers out faster than a kpop idol., whilst the other girls just stared straight ahead.

_T-that’s weird. Should we call for help or something? Maybe the rest of their party is somewhere around here?_

_Oh... wait! I’m so stupid!_

Mammon's eyes panicked as the schoolgirls very being started to become warped and faced Levi, who was now really struggling to contain his amusement, his cheeks were red and he was biting hard on his tongue. “OI Levi, what’s up with her? I-is there an infirmary or somethin’ round here?”  
  
“We’re so dumb...she’s an NPC HAHAH!” He wiped a tear from his eye and strode up to the group, waving his arm out infront of her as she continued. “ I did think it was strange how she didn’t react to me, they might be purely tailored for your character but if you’re not on roleplay mode then it makes sense. It sounds like a bug...did this game even have a QA team? Even my crappy platformer was coded better than this trash!”

“I dunno what an NPC is but we can’t just leave her like this!” The white haired demon flailed his arms around in a panic, unaware that the girl was not a sentient being like them.

“Ugh...just stand aside.” The otaku rolled his eyes and very casually grabbed the back of the girls head, examining it along with tracing the contents of her bag. 

_Maybe they’re like robots here and there’s some sort of access panel in the back of their heads like in that normie movie GRID? It couldn’t hurt to look._

Mammon stared in shock and booted him out of the way, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him off her. “LEVI WHAT’RE YOU DOIN’ TO THAT POOR GIRL HAVE YOU GONE MAD? WHAT ABOUT EM! I-I’m so sorry for my brother's behaviour!” 

“Mammon...look. It’s an NPC, it’s not a person! It stands for non player character. There’s even a USB port right here! Just as I suspected “Levi brushed aside the girl's hair from the back of her neck and pointed at a small rectangular opening hidden just above her collar, which caused his brother to recoil in disgust.

“Eurgh! And ya wanted me to hit on this thing? I mean the thought of datin’ a human was one thing to get past but..I dunno if I’d do it with a robot either'' The yakuza misfit scratched his white spikes, pondering the thought.

“You idiot, we’re all data in here...I think. The usb port is probably just for show, or to distinguish the AI from actual players. Think of them more like a hologram with layers making them seem real.” Levi ran his hand through the back of his hair, checking for any foreign objects, unusual bumps, divots or holes. Thankfully it looked like he was free of any access panels, which meant hopefully everyone else would be too.

“Mammon just scratch the back of your neck for me? Just in case.”

_I’d check him myself but he's a big boy, he can do it himself._

“Hah?” What was this another one of Levi’s silly jokes? The white haired demon narrowed his eyes. “Why should I, after what happened with that MPC thingy.”

_I wonder if this game allows friendly fire… he’lll just respawn if I kill him, right?_

Containing his urge to test that out, Levi did nothing but facepalm at the mispronunciation, was he doing this just to rattle his cage about the silly nickname again? “..It’s an **N** PC.” He corrected him with a sigh. ”Just do it...and tell me if you feel anything weird.“

“Ugh fine! I guess ya gonna ask me to do some really weird shit from here on out, aren’t ya?”

“Yep, and when we get to the dorms or the Academy I need you to sneak into the AV room and just take anything you see, a HDMI lead, adaptors, j-just...wires. They must have some sort of room like that..it’s animé based.”There was no way the second brother would understand what he meant but, if it meant being able to crack the games code he’d have Mammon keeping an eye out for any wires, it might even be possible to get Satan on board with the idea if he were in a civil mood. “We need to figure out the rules and the way this game works. And...if I could get hold of some cables, I might be able to access the control panel and see if we can get out of here.”

_Well Lucifer loves to make rules, Satan will love to break them, so he’ll definitely agree to the idea. I could even use everyones phone to see if I can jailbreak them and get admin access. I’m sure Em would be fine with it too._

After discussing possibly hacking into the game itself, the two demons decided they were too smart for asking the device for help, especially after seeing the glitches and bugs they’d give any more AI a wide berth just in case their eardrums suffered for it, even if they were just digital.

“Well if ya done...doin’ whatever ya doin with the ‘NPC’' The delinquent character archetype air quoted sarcastically, earning a pair of rolling eyes from his younger brother and an unimpressed look. “Let's get the hell outta here and find the others, I wonder how they’re all copin’...” 

“I’m done here, but yeah we need to find them.. I can’t imagine it’s much fun being stuck with Satan and Lucifer at eachothers throats again.” They both nodded in agreement and carried on walking down the street, passing a few more stores on the way, with not an NPC or another soul in sight except for a few pixelated birds picking at the grass on the sidewalk.

Remembering that he still hadn’t had a chance to talk to Levi about what had happened the previous day, Mammon slowed his footing as his brother walked in front of him, shaking his head from left to right searching for a street sign or some indication on where this elusive academy was hiding. “Ah that’s right, I wanted to talk to ya at breakfast but then Asmo carted Em off. I’m not gonna go into too much detail because I remember your text but...y-you didn’t confess to her right? Because you two seem closer than ever.”

“What? N-no of course not! Like I told you, I really would rather forget about it again. I’ll talk about anything else but that.”

“Well alright then...so..how did ya end up sortin’ things out anyway? You didn’t..do anything else than talk did ya?” He raised his eyebrows, crossing his arms impatiently. “I know ya said you slept on the floor but..I’m just makin’ sure. You can tell me…”

_Why is it whenever a guy and a girl spend time together in a room something HAS to happen!_

Shaking his head furiously in embarrassment, Levi turned that all familiar shade of red; it was a mystery to him how his face hadn’t just gotten used to a permanent red hue by now. “N-n-no! I’m still a virgin, no we didn’t kiss or do anything else, the most we did was hug a few times okay? T-that’s it! Sorry to disappoint. But honestly, it actually came as a surprise to me too, Em tried calling me hours after you tried talking to her. My stupid phone was on silent for once though, I was doing as you said and just really tried distracting myself, but it was so hard to stop thinking about her and..everything else. I’d just finished an episode and I felt like I was being summoned, the next thing I knew I was there in her room…” His heart squeezed as he recalled how confidently she spoke to him and apologized for not reacting to his revelation very well. But the memories started going past that point again, and he shut them out instinctively. “A-anyway we ended up talking things over and I sort of had a panic attack.. but I’m fine now! Really!” 

He waved his arms trying to reassure his older brother, who just looked at him with worry, it sounded like Levi had awoken his repressed memories about the Celestial War, something that they’d have to discuss at some point or he’d bottle everything up all over again, but now really wasn’t the time so he kept his mouth shut for once and just listened. “After that she suggested I s-spend the night with her. Then this morning Lucifer caught me in her room, but I think we got away with it? But of course he had to pull me outside and have a little talk with me...it was another warning about having feelings for Em and how she’s leaving, ugh...why does he keep having to remind me of what I already know?! I-it’s like he enjoys seeing my pain.”

Mammon winced at the sound of Lucifer's name, they still hadn’t made up either, along with Levi and Satan who had some tension between them as well, but here they were all trapped in a game together, at least it wasn’t a free for all battle simulator. “Ugh, that guy ruins everyones fun...I feel like it’s my fault he’s like this ya know? I’m the one that told him to be a brother we could all look upto, and over the years I guess it just went to his head and that sick side to him grew. But we sided with him for a reason didn’t we? That Lucifer is still in there somewhere, I still don’t get his beef with you though, it’s like he’s afraid of somethin’ and..uhh if this is a dating game, I’d watch out cuz I doubt he’s gonna let you win.”

_Huh? What do you mean you told him to be like that?_

“Well in here he has no control over me. B-besides it’s just a game, he can’t really say anything without outing my feelings for her and I was going to do that sooner or later anyway, so if you think about it, this place might be my chance.” Levi beamed with a sudden confident smirk. “I’m going to give it my all, it’s like I was born for this! The amount of otome games I’ve played over the years? They’ve all trained me for this. I know all the cliches, tropes and moves, it'll be hard to actually r-reenact them myself but...I’m pretty sure I’ll be able to win, and it helps you’re all normies.” He laughed in premature victory, ignoring the stone shaped elephant in the room.

“Yeah yeah..t-that’s.. great Levi but.. ya couldn’t even pick a pebble up without almost burstin’ into tears.” Mammon pressed his lips into a thin line, he hadn’t meant to try to knock his brothers usually non existent confidence but didn’t want him to get too carried away.

_Ugh don’t remind me.._

_“_ Y-yeah..okay I’ll give you that one. B-but I know how to interact with stuff now right? And I bet the others didn’t pick it up easily either!” 

“I bet the others didn’t skip the tutorial..” The white haired demon muttered, before taking a deep breath. “Levi...whilst we’re in here c-can I..play properly?”

“Hah? What do you mean?” 

“C-can I be a rival? Like play the game fairly and stuff?” 

Instantly the envious demon's face turned into one of thunder and the orange colour darkened in his eyes. If their powers worked here, he would be in a world of hurt right now as the jealousy rose dangerously. 

“N-not because I want to flirt with her! B-because Lucifer won’t take kindly if we all just let ya win, don’t you think that’s kinda sus if I just stood back and let ya have her?”

_Ughhh..he has a point. And it’s not often I say that._

_Fine._

“Fine...wait. Does that mean you’re going to confess to her? On the rooftop? I-I know I said you could tell her how you feel but…” Was he really about to go back on his promise? No, he couldn’t do that to his own flesh and sort of someone who he saw as blood, sure Mammon was a pain but he’d really earned his trust lately. “Okay. y-you’re right. So I guess from here on we’re rivals.” He shifted himself around to face his brother properly and held his hand out.

Mammon graciously accepted the handshake, almost breaking Levi’s wrist with how vigorously he shook it. “Deal. I’m gonna show her the best sides of me too, but don’t worry ‘kay? She’s not into me.”

A wavering confident wince was all his brother got in response, and then. “Ehhh Levi..i-is that the place?” He pointed towards a large sign on the wall, some overgrown ivy had grown over it, obscuring the writing. 

“I-it can’t be… it looks super run down if it is. Normally in otome games the places are pristine!” Levi walked up towards the sign and squinted his eyes whilst hovering over the ivy and picturing the action to pull in his mind, just as he’d learned earlier. The pesky plant material evaporated into thin air, causing the otaku to groan as he read the sign in its entirety. “Noooo..th-these are the dorms?! Ugh… I swear if I have to sleep in a bed with roaches I’ll be sick.” 

It did look grungy at best, he wasn’t exaggerating, even Mammon who’s bedroom always resembled some sort of dumping site pulled a look of disgust as they both examined the building, slowly stepping up to it, the garden or what had once been one was overgrown, weeds sprouted up on the concrete path towards the main reception. A few shards of glass were just lying there on the path, waiting for someone to catch tetanus. 

Did diseases exist in this game? Had he accidentally recommended one of those creepypasta type of games to Em? It was certainly a unique premise Levi would give the studio that much credit.

_We’re not going to be butchered as soon as we walk through those doors or something are we?_

_I think I remember this game is supposedly rated PEGA 16? The most they could get away with is pixelated or jam looking blood._

The Avatar of Greed let out a long whistle as he observed the state of the building. “Well damn, this place is a bit of a fixer upper...and we’re supposed to be stayin’ in this #!@!hole?” He gulped uncomfortably, touching his throat. “What the ?@#!” HUH? WHY CAN’T I SAY @#!#!”

_He only just found that out? Wow._

_Mammon you’re slacking._

Pinching his brow in disbelief, Levi explained the game's rules to his brother again. “Ugh...you know I have to give you kudos, I assumed you would’ve tried cussing up a storm by now..there’s a profanity filter in the game, I did tell you earlier we couldn’t curse... I was able to say the words in my head but uhh, best not to overdo it, it gave me a warning and I’d rather not be kicked out of the game or have our IP banned.”

_Although I highly doubt any of us will be touching this game for a speedrun or a replay anytime soon._

“A profit filter?” Mammon started rubbing his hands together, completely mishearing the word. “Well now ya talkin’! B-but what does that hafta do with me not bein’ able to say @!#!?”

As expected, the money hungry sibling received a message on his own phone, giving his brother a beaming grin to hide the grimace that perhaps he should pay more attention to what people were saying. “Uhhh...Looks like I just got a warnin’ heh whoops!” He chuckled sheepishly and held the device up to his less than impressed nerdy brother.

Levi gave him a disappointed poker face in response and sighed again. “Why do I even bother...Let’s just go get chopped up by a maniac and get this over with already.” He stomped forward, crushing the glass underneath with his shoes as he yanked the handle of the main entrance open and stepped inside still attempting to keep up a confident aura. 

It wasn’t as bad as the outside, but it did look a bit run down, there were a few hairline cracks in the wall and Levi felt himself inspecting them rather carefully for any signs of roaches or spiders. He wasn’t terrified of them like Beelzebub or Em but wasn’t what you’d call a fan of creepy crawlies either.

_Where the hell is everyone?_

_The game said they’d be here..did they get lost maybe? Or turn tail and run..I mean I wouldn’t blame them this place looks like something from Highschool of the Undead._

“W-well let’s have a look around, this place is pretty big so-”

“Nuh uh, NUH UH! Don’t you dare say it! Ya gonna say to split up ain’t ya? Dontcha remember all the scary movies! It’s the worst thing to do! I’m stickin’ with you whether ya like it or not!”

“Fine...now who’s the big crybaby?” Leviathan teased and pointed towards a less than peak condition stairwell. “We’ll try upstairs first...” On the wall ahead of them a bulletin board hung, and it looked like a registration form of some kind, and something red on the wall behind it “Oh? What’s this?”

“W-what, don’t tell me..is it blood? It’s blood aint it.”

“It’s not blood! Will you s-stop that! This isn’t a horror game for Mephisto’s sake....” He glared at his older brother for trying to scare him and peered at the writing, letting out a small. “Oh” as he read on, and thankfully the red stain on the wall was just a splash of paint that had gone awry probably when decorating the place. “It’s paint, now will you calm down and shut up now whilst I focus on this?”

_Hang on..they’re our names!_

_Levia-chan and Satan - Room 6 Fourth floor._

_Stupidmammon and Lucifer - Room 2 Fourth floor._

_Em-C - Room 8 Fifth Floor._

_Ooof, I’m with Satan? Well I guess..this gives us a chance to talk. He hasn’t spoken to me since I told him about spying on Em and Solomon._

_For Mammon I guess I’ll just ask him to write his will now rather than wait it out...even though it wouldn’t be a very long one, I think he only really has that car, those speakers and the TV. So I'd most likely sell the car for some limited edition figurines, Goldie would make a nice coaster too though._

_As expected she’s by herself on another floor, I hope she’ll be okay…_

_But then I guess selfishly I’d prefer her being alone than being in the same room as one of my brothers._

_Sorry Em.._

_I...I’m not going to say anything to Mammon just yet, or he’ll throw himself off the top floor._

“Oh okay phew! A-are ya sure? And what’s so interestin’ I can’t seeeee!”

“Uhhhh n-nothing! It’s just our floor numbers, quick follow me! I know where to go.” He coaxed the white haired demon away from the itinerary, if he saw who he was roomed with Levi was probably correct on how he’d react.

* * *

As both brothers crept up the rusting spiral stairs quietly, the cracked concrete underneath them crumbled at the touch and if Beelzebub had joined them it probably wouldn’t have been able to take all three of their weight at once. It was quite a lengthy stairwell as they craned their necks upwards, at a glance there were at least four more floors. 

He chuckled softly to himself, the old pre-Em arc Leviathan would have been gasping for air after passing the first floor marker, but here he was not breaking a sweat. All that cardio every day had definitely helped build up his stamina, given the situation he was in at the moment he couldn’t help but be a little proud of his achievement for once.

Mammon on the other hand, the famous demon model, was panting for breath like a beached whale as they reached the third floor, crawling on his hands and knees to get past that last step. “Hah...hah...f-finally...we made it”

“Uhhh Mammon..there’s still another floor before it’s us.”

All colour drained from his tanned face as he stared up at the menacing steps ahead of them. “It-it’s no good...I-I can’t go on Levi…” He grabbed his brother by the collar of his new ingame uniform. “If I don’t make it, tell my kids...Daddy loves them” the drama queen pretended to faint, hiding his face one hand but taking a peek with those teal eyes.

Levi just stared down at him speechless, as far as he was aware Mammon had never conceived a child, so this was news to him. “But..y-you don’t have kids? U-unless..”

_Unless I missed some very big news in the past hundred or so years?_

_Maybe that’s why he avoids his ex all the time, wow Father of the year right there._

Somehow that brought him back to consciousness.“Pffft ‘course I do! I got Goldie and my baby!”

The slapping of Levi’s hand on his face echoed throughout the building, whilst the annoyance grew. “Mammon...I don’t think a credit card or a damned car counts as being your children!”

“YOU’RE ONE TO TALK, YA THOUGHT A PILLOW WAS YOUR WIFE FOR HELL'S SAKE!”

“WELL I’M SORRY, OKAY? BUT I’M DONE WITH RURI-CHAN NOW, COMPLETELY!” The pair of them started arguing midflight up the stairs and completely forgot their indoor voice, unaware that they weren’t alone.

_T-that’s right..I’m over her. But I don’t think I told them that yet._

“WAIT WHAT? COMPLETELY OVER HER? D-DOES THIS MEAN YA GETTIN RID OF THOSE STUPID PILLOWS AND ALL THE TOYS?”  
  
“FOR THE LAST TIME, THEY’RE COLLECTABLES, FIGURINES. NOT TOYS TO BE PLAYED WITH! But...yeah..maybe..I might keep them because I spent a lot of grimm on them, as for the pillows, I’m not sure yet.”

It was an awkward silence as the two brothers reached the top of the stairs, you could’ve heard a pin drop throughout the building, it was quiet...too quiet for what was supposed to be a student dorm, and not to mention disgrace of the decoration and condition of most of the furnishings.

“Has anyone ever told you to keep your voices down? You’re disturbing the entire building.”Emerald green eyes flashed from the balcony of the highest floor above them, leaning his head on the rails, his gaze bounced between the two of them with a stern quality to it. But it was strange, as if Satan did not recognize the two of them whatsoever.

_Why is he looking at us like that?_

“S-satan? Hah well now Mammons the odd one out!” Levi remarked, his bookworm brother was wearing the same sky blue uniform, white shirt combo only his was tucked in perfectly, and the blazer was buttoned up.

_It even looks like he’s lint rolled it. Classic Satan._

“Ah it’s you, you must be the delinquent everyone’s been talking about. Well your parents may have bribed the school, but don’t think that means I won’t keep a close eye on you.” The man in the pristine uniform produced a pair of rimmed classes from his pants pocket and turned his attention from Mammon, now squinting at Levi as he pushed the frame up the bridge of his nose. “And you there, in the uniform. At the very least you’re dressed appropriately...to a degree. Straighten that tie, tuck your shirt in!” 

_Uhhh..o-okay._

Probably from the shock of the way Satan was acting with them, the older brother obeyed and swiftly fixed his shirt, feeling exactly like the age of the school character he was playing as.

He commanded and pointed his finger sternly at Levi as he awkwardly re-adjusted his tie. “Hmmm I don’t think we’ve met before, however if you’re associated with this...thug then I suppose I have to watch you as well. Now the pair of you better have a good excuse for running amok, are you even registered to this specific dorm?”

Levi and Mammon just gave each other a weird look and then narrowed their eyes at Satan who was behaving almost like an entirely new man.

“S-Satan...you didn’t…”The otaku’s face grew into one of horror and he groaned, turning to the white haired yakuza whilst keeping his voice low, out of earshot to the delusional sibling.“ _Ugh..Mammon..Satan must have turned on RP mode. He’s acting like the Student President, that must have been the character he got. Which means…_ ”

_If he’s activated RP mode and it’s affecting him like this and can’t even recognize us..i-is he actually going to fall for Em?_

_Oh no..how can I POSSIBLY compete with someone like him?!_

_I really hope Lucifer wasn’t stupid enough to turn RP mode on too..._

_And I didn’t even consider the possibility but...Em...y-you didn’t either..right?_

“ _Wait so what are ya sayin’, i-is that not Satan?”_ The biker peered over at the man who looked identical to their younger cat loving brother. _“Is he a clone or one of those NPC thingies?”_ _  
__  
__“It’s Satan..somewhere in there. B-but I think the game wipes his personality and gives him the predetermined character one, so everything his character is, it’s now him until well hopefully, we beat the game.”_

“What are you hooligans whispering about? I’m right here you know, and I may be wearing glasses but I’m not deaf as well, I heard you mention my name.” The student president snapped, in a somewhat similar fashion to his normal personality, it looked like the game couldn’t completely erase that short temper of his.

“Uhhh w-we were just sayin’ you look..friendly.” Mammon threw one of his biggest, brightest and most innocent looking smiles at Satan, who just crossed his arms and raised an eyebrow. “Nice to meetcha!”

“Well I don’t trust the pair of you, you’re already late, causing a scene, fighting over a girl called..what was it Ruri-chan? I’ll have you know, there is to be NO fooling around with any of the girls in this dorm..even that jackass new teacher I had the displeasure of meeting earlier won’t allow such shenanigans. Now if you’ll excuse me, some of us have to study for the exams next week.”

_Fine by me the only girl I care about is Em anyway and I-I-I would n-never f-fool around with her like that…_

His face started to burn, which would look really strange given the situation he was in and the accusations being hurled at him by, whoever Satan had become.

_Stop thinking about it!_

“As expected...the pair of you are playboys. Tsk.” The blonde leaned in closer, glaring at the two. “If I catch one whiff of dorm mixing, sneaking around or any...ahem, activities around here, I’ll have you both expelled, no questions asked. As Student President, I have quite the reputation around here.” He said in a smug tone, pushing his glasses back up again, leaning back with one last warning glance as he walked off in the opposite direction towards a black door labelled “Staff”.

_They might have cables in there..it could be like a CCTV room._

The lilac haired student bared his teeth in disgust at the fourth oldest demon, or whatever he had become. His body shuddered, a chill ran up his spine, cringing at the fact Satan had become one of those snooty characters he always hated with a passion in anime; they were smug, full of themselves and always ruining everyone else's fun.

_Not to mention, just damn boring._

The snow haired man waved enthusiastically, before realizing that they needed to meet up with everyone and probably shouldn’t be splitting up unless the game called for it. “W-WAIT SA-” Levi threw his hand over Mammon's mouth and shushed him.

_Okay..the room must be soundproofed because he would’ve definitely have heard that, another thing to remember I guess._

“I really wouldn’t push it with him, he’s still got his temper..and..I don’t know if the RP mode messes with anything like, he might actually be able to get us kicked out and if that happens, we might lose the game.” It was smart thinking, this game was rather unpredictable and despite its glitches and other..nitpicks it had, it really liked to keep you on your toes.

And right now, there was a more pressing matter than Satan playing student president. “We need to find Em.”

_I just hope she isn’t like Satan, or Hades forbid Lucifer rolled the deredere or bakadere character somehow._

_I think I’d vomit if he started acting all kind and innocent all of a sudden._

Neither of the brothers would have to wait long to be reunited with their human friend however, as another pair of footsteps could be heard tip tapping their way through the corridor of the fourth floor. They were light, small paces from the sound of it, but sounded more like someone was dancing with a rhythm.

To hell with being subtle at all about it, it felt like he hadn’t seen her in days, maybe time worked differently here? He pointed towards the sound of the footsteps and ushered Mammon over with him. The fourth floor was tiny, just three rooms and what looked to be a sitting area and a small kitchen, the fridge was more akin to a mini-fridge much like his own and the sofa looked low budget at best. 

They both heard a small sigh and humming coming from the shared lounging area ahead of them and Levi couldn’t help but light up seeing the familiar mess of jet black just barely tall enough to poke above the back of the grey sofa.

From what he could see of her from stretching his back, she had a plate of food; just a sad looking omurice and an orange juice; as expected for a game made in Japan. But it wasn’t much considering her big appetite. He had wanted to be somewhat casual and not scare her as she ate but unfortunately his louder and more brash sibling also spotted her and ran full speed towards the sofa. 

“Em! Man what a day! Levi here cried over a pebble, we upset one of those NPC things and broke it I think…” His teal eyes glazed over hungrily at the half eaten omelette, boldly taking a seat next to her as he climbed over the armrest. “Oooh that looks good, can I have a bite?” 

His brother however mentally facepalmed, it was one thing to sneak up on a girl struggling with social anxiety but another to be rude enough to ask if he could have the rest of her food, especially knowing the type of eater Em was, Levi smacked the rude tsundere across the back of the head gently. “Mammon, at least make something yourself, Em is probably starving seeing as she didn’t get to eat the rest of her breakfast, thanks to Asmodeus”

With his annoyance aside, he smiled warmly at the understandably confused and maybe a little scared expression on her face as her body looked hunched and also sat down next to her, the two brothers now sandwiching her on the tiny couch. But dread quickly crept up on him, it was unlike her to say anything to him by now, unless she had actually been tempted with the roleplay game mode?

_M-maybe we just surprised her,but it’s true...she is new to the game genre, RP mode might’ve been something she wanted to try out for the first time too...oh no._

_Em please...say something to us._

_Wait...she didn’t hear us yelling on the stairs did she?!_

The girl removed two blaring earbuds from under her hair, causing the stress levels to plummet instantly, no way would she have heard him renounce his waifu with the volume of those tunes. “Mmff! Whhh hh youuu bn” To his indescribable relief, she also showed recognition to them after being knocked out of her hungry trance-like state, her mouth was full of food however so she politely excused herself by just holding one finger up, swallowing as quickly as possible whilst they waited patiently and maybe choking a little to get the greeting out. Then she whispered something under her breath absently.

“ _Ahh that explains a lot.”_ Before either of them could ask what that meant, the main character of the game smiled at them endearingly, eager to hear about their journey there. “S-sorry if I ignored you, it turns out my earbuds were in my jeans and well..the game registered them along with my Apod! But holy hell am I glad to see you two! A-and..Mammon, what in Devildom are you dressed as? And..w-what’s this about a pebble?”

_Thank the unholy demon king that Em is still herself, I don’t know what I’d have done if she’d turned into one of those boring, blank slate MC’s that have no personality or ever stand up for themselves that otome game developers seem to love so much._

“Hey, it feels like I haven’t seen you in days! Mammon here apparently joined the Yakuza, doesn’t look like he’s committed any sins yet though, I think he’s got all his fingers but the oyabun won’t be happy when he gets here.” He chuckled down at her instantly checking the tanned demons fingers were still intact, never tiring of getting lost in those serene crystal-like eyes as they turned back towards him upon counting ten digits on his brother's hands, but her gaze seemed fixed on something else about both of them as well. “Y-you don’t really want to know about the pebble…” 

“Hang on a sec’ ain’t this the fourth floor? We don’t mind ya being here at all b-but uhh..this is our floor Em.”

_Way to make her feel welcome...idiot._

“O-oh right, well my floor doesn’t have a kitchen or anything, I hope you don’t mind..p-plus I wanted to see you.” She directed that last part straight at the man in uniform before correcting herself. “A-all of you.”

_Ugh, stop being so cute._

_I can already see this game being the death of me..._

Glancing down at her plate, it looked like it hadn’t really filled her up. And from what he’d remembered, she wasn’t able to eat much at all that morning in the real world, but did eating in the game actually give them a feeling of fullness? Or was it a placebo effect? Would they die of starvation in here if they didn’t eat, was there perhaps a built-in stamina meter? 

If only he’d been able to access the tutorial, it was something he’d have to pick everyones brains about when they’d settled. “Ah, b-but I’ll let you finish eating and get this loudmouth under control first.” 

Now he could finally relax and take in her appearance, he couldn’t say he was surprised in the slightest at the game's choosing. Em’s ingame outfit was a carbon copy of what the girl from the front cover on the games case was wearing. The sky blue blazer and white shirt which matched his, a white plaid skirt and again, a matching red bow tie to compliment the lighter shades of the uniform.

_She looks adorable in that._

_I think I’d get a nosebleed if she happened to wear a maid outfit or something._

_Oh please...please let this game have a maid event or costumes. I would drink my own aquarium water for that image to become reality._

“Ehh don’tcha wanna hear about the pebble? It was hilarious!”

“N-no, no she doesn’t! Come on, let her eat in peace.”

“B-but I really do...it sounded like a fun story..but did you really cry? And I really can’t say I’m shocked that he got that character to be honest with you” She giggled into the sleeve of her blazer, trying to be polite, something had really set her off since they’d first stepped into the room,but it was something she’d rather wait to tell Levi about if they got the chance to be alone again.

“HEY What’s THAT supposed ta mean? Look at this huge scar on my amazing face.” The frequent troublemaker resented that remark and stretched his skin to show them the slight but long silvery gash on his lip. “I swear ta hades himself, this better not be permanent or those game devs will have hell ta pay! Do I really look like someone who’d get into knife fights?”

“Yes!” Without skipping a beat the pair answered him in unison as they caught sight of the scar and the bandaid again, it was too fitting for someone like him especially after the scene in the bar and they both just laughed even harder. 

“I-I’m hurt ya both think so little of me!” He harrumphed dramatically and the gurgling of his stomach ruined the cold facade. Em just continued giggling and patted his shoulder reassuringly.

It was obvious that the third wheel felt like he was interrupting something, craving attention from everyone and probably not knowing how to act given that they’d just shook on being equal rivals in the game. But given the recent confession he wasn’t over the girl they both desired, plus with what happened with Lucifer, Levi stood up and escorted his brother to the small kitchen. “Right, come on..I’ll cook you something seeing as you’re obviously hungry and would probably burn the place down if you did it yourself...Em? Do you want anything else, I really don’t mind making something for you too.”

Her jaw almost dropped from the surprise causing her already gentle tone to squeak.“Y-you can cook?” She rose to her feet too, wanting to watch his reaction to the revelation of the cooking method he’d be forced to use.

“Y-yes...why is that such a shock? I’ve made my own granola, cupcakes and other stuff like that before.” Levi shifted his eyes back and forth, feeling awkward; had he really not told or shown her his baking in the four months he’d known her?

_We still need to talk to each other more about things OTHER than games and animé I guess._

“I-I’m just a little shocked because all you ever eat back at h- back in the Devildom is pasta, sandwiches and things that the kitchen demons made..s-so uhh I just didn’t expect it.”

He approached the tiny fridge and rolled up his sleeves, searching for an apron. “Well prepare to be amazed, t-this place is stocked up right?” There it was, hanging up behind him but it looked like it had never been used before, which was odd considering Em had just made herself something, unless she bought it.

“Egh cookin’? I’m just gonna go lay on the sofa and try to take a nap if ya don’t mind..” The white haired demon wanted no part in this, cooking was a messy job and he wasn’t very good at it, or following instructions for the recipes. At home the staff did it all for him too, but he was touched that the shut-in offered. “A-and uhh t-thanks Levi.”

_I’m a dumbass who skipped the tutorial.. Do I just have to hover over the fridge and think of the ingredients?_

_Or do we buy the food already prepared?_

“Ummm, actually I had to buy my ingredients and then do a weird minigame through the device which sort of...made it appear?” She scratched the back of her head, preparing to show him through her own device. “H-here I’ll show you an example..” But there was no need, Levi’s eyes sparkled as nostalgia hit him.

“Oooooh it’s like Cooking Mom! D-do you remember that game or am I showing my age right now?” He asked sheepishly as he remembered the fact that the human girl had only been alive for barely nineteen years, and that game had come out on the BS years ago. 

Her lighthearted laughter lit up the room as Mammon stirred from the sofa, lifting his jacket sleeve over his face to hide from the brightness. “Oi! I just told ya I’m takin’ a nap! W-what’s so funny? Are ya talkin’ about me?”

_Mammon please...rival doesn’t mean butting in at every single chance you get._

“N-no of course not! Sorry Mammon...we’ll try to keep it down.” She fiddled with her hands in shame, and snapped her attention back to Levi, lowering her voice in regards to the sleepy yakuzas wishes. “Of course I remember that game, I may be a lot younger than you but I was around..ten? When that game came out! But yes! I got a hit of nostalgia from it, the mechanics are really similar from what I remember, d-do you maybe want some help?”

He shook his head, not that he didn’t want her help but Levi was determined to prove himself, plus the man had a lot of experience in games like this; despite the rocky start he was still the supposed expert when it came to this genre, and Cooking Mom was something he’d played religiously when it had first been released in Japan. It was in fact one of the first games he played in its original language.

_Come on, you can do this! Remember, your main goal was to impress her._

“Okay..uhhh phone, activate cooking?”

“Pfffft, Levi...d-did you skip the tutorial? You just go up to the fridge, hold your phone out and think of the word food and then it all appears on the screen.” She couldn’t help but chuckle quietly and walked over to him, showing him an example. “I think we’ve all got a certain amount of money...oh! And I need to add you as a friend..w-will you accept my request?”

_Umm yes...obviously!_

Levi accepted it at the speed of light, it seemed like the device wasn’t sure whether it liked him or not, this game would be entertaining for the others if he was going to have to scream at it to do anything one day and then the next it would work perfectly. “O-oh right yeah..uhh I’ll just tell you now. Basically as soon as we got here the game just had it out for me, I found out the hard way about the profanity filter too..even got a warning. With the pebble, I think I found a hidden wall and I wanted to test it after slamming into it with my face..yeah..not fun. Weirdly I felt pain too? And so I wanted to throw the pebble at the barrier just to be sure but nothing worked. I tried picking it up normally and my hand phased right through it, then I tried yelling game things like..pressing x and uhh-t-the monami code.. Oh and my device said my voice isn’t recognizable? D-do I have a weird voice?”

“Right now...your voice is annoyin’ me because I’m TRYING to nap! Ugh, forget this...we got rooms didn’t we?” Before they could say anything, Mammon trailed off out of the room leaving the two star crossed lovers alone again, instantly creating more of a chemistry in the room.

“Is Mammon okay?” Em stared after him as he stomped down the corridor, wondering if he was still a bit down after the argument yesterday. “I uhh..I think you have a lovely voice..but I have to admit that is a funny story, I also found out the hard way about the profanity filter...” Her eyes checked over his condition for bruises or bumps, reaching her arm out hesitantly. “A-are you okay?”

“I-I’m fine thank you…” The suggested contact had caught him off guard and again having someone worried about his well being felt good. But Levi also watched as his brother got further and further into the distance before he was out of sight. “O-oh and don’t worry about him, I think he’s just feeling awkward being trapped here with Lucifer, R-right you were going to show me how to access cooking?”

He waited for a shriek or yell about being roomed with their strict sibling but nothing came, it was possible he just hadn’t read the plaque on the door properly.

“Oh right! Here!”

* * *

“STIR IT THAT WAY, NO NO, NO THAT WAY! THE OTHER WAY, LEFT!” 

“WHAT WAY!” He yelled in a stressed manner. “YOUR LEFT OR MY LEFT?”  
  
“UHHHH-”  
  
“EM PLEASE!”  
  
“MY LEFT!”  
  
“GAHHH THE STUPID DEVICE CAN’T KEEP UP WITH ME!” The self proclaimed chef was frantic as he traced the screen of his phone in a circular motion. “W-WAIT I STILL NEED TO ADD THE ONIONS!”

After some time and a hilariously bad reaction speed thanks to the device glitching on her again, Levi was able to make a large portion of Udon himself on his own; enough for at least six people according to the results of the mini game. 

It was an oddly exhausting experience, her backseat gaming whilst he attempted to follow instructions and even the game itself couldn’t seem keep up with his lightning fast reflexes; he was just too good.

“S-so you said you wanted to tell me something?” Levi said as he broke his chopsticks and passed the girl her bowl, thankful that the ordeal was over. “Ah be careful, it’s hot...you might want to let it cool down first”

“T-thank you! It smells delicious…” She smiled at him and took a seat next to him on the tiny sofa again. “Actually I wanted to show you something. So...you know I’m the main character right? Well..” He’d kick himself when he saw this so she really wanted to build up to the moment and savour that sweet sweet reaction. “Levi, when you saw me in here did you..see anything else above my head?” 

“Uhhh t-the ceiling?” He answered in a puzzled tone, raising his eyebrow but also questioning himself if there had been anything.

_I..I kind of blur everything else out when I see you. But I can’t say that can I?_

His silence answered for him, and Em continued as she scrolled through the ingame apps. “Hahah not quite what I meant.” She couldn’t help but chuckle as she passed him the device, struggling to balance the bowl of udon on her lap. “Okay, well...it turns out I can see everyone's..stats? I guess. Take a look. I think I can only see them when I first meet you though.”

“Our...stats?” The confused love interest glanced down at her phone and immediately stopped laughing, his face twisted into one of stupefaction. 

_“Levia-chan:_ _  
__Height: 6’1_

_Weight: 165lbs_

_Blood type - B_

_Personality: Tsundere, Passionate, Creative, Envious._

_Likes: The Internet, Indoors, TSL, Fish, Snakes._

_Dislikes: Normies, Sorcerers, English Dubs, Outdoors.”_

_T-tsundere?! I’m not a damned tsun! They’re like the worst stereotype, ugh...and the childhood friend on top of that? Damn, I’m REALLY glad we’re not in RP mode now, I wouldn’t have stood a chance against the others._

_Envious? Really game? Duh._

_The height is right..the weight, well I haven’t weighed myself since before the party but yeah probably still the same.._

_Okay, I’ll give it credit for the likes._

However as the pair of them reached the dislikes, Em rescinded the phone, noticing his slack-jawed expression and read them out loud, slurping her noodles up eagerly, they tasted incredible but what did she expect from his five star result as she teased him further. “So..you hate normies eh? And...sorcerers?” That reveal had caused her to sigh heavily, obviously he hadn’t made up with Solomon at all, at the very least the game did her a favour by exposing that secret. “I will agree with you on the English dubs though. But honestly I wouldn’t have thought you were a tsundere, I mean..apart from when we first met and..t-the other time you’ve been really honest and open with me, maybe the game just put you in that category because you’re introverted? I feel like it didn’t actually capture you that well, I mean Ruri-chan should be right there at the top of the likes list right? But they got TSL! Mammons on the other hand…”

_Hah yeah, I’ll just let you believe that Em._

_I really hope she doesn’t show Lucifer that list, it might as well just say likes EMILIA CARTEL in big red letters._

_Underlined..bolded..arrows pointing to them..._

_Still I can’t believe I’m a stupid tsun? Ugh...even Asmo said I was tsundere months ago.. And every single personality quiz I did out of boredom._

_Is this really my fate?_

There was no defence, the game had totally exposed him to her. Which made him hate the experience even more, but was she going to want him to expand on the sorcerer thing? “W-well uhh normies are the WORST. And th-the sorcerer thing well I..I’m sorry Em I TRIED to get along with that guy for your sake but I-”

_I don’t trust him._

_Go on..tell her._

Before he could open his mouth, she dismissed it. “Levi...it’s okay. I’m not going to force you to get along with someone you obviously don’t like, I’m sorry if I pushed it on you though. I guess I just see a totally different side to him...it’s just a shame, you could’ve been really good friends and well..I get the feeling he might be lonely too..like you are.”

_I think he just wants to get you in the sack..sure he has a bit of a sad backstory but, he drools all over you and you’re so kind he probably uses it against you._

“Past tense, I was lonely. B-but I have you now..” Both of them felt their cheeks going warm, and it wasn’t the food to blame “A-as my best friend of course!” Levi coughed to change the subject. “S-so uh you were about to show me Mammons stats?”

“Oh right! Here! I almost choked on my food when I read it, t-that’s why I kind of just stared at you both for a second, I was scared I was going to spit it all over you..”

_‘Stupidmammon:_

_Height: 5’11 (pushing 6’0)_

_Weight: 176lbs_

_Blood type - O_

_Personality: Tsundere, Kleptomaniac, Impulsive, Empathetic_

_Likes: Money, Gambling, Attention, Winning, Lucifer._

_Dislikes: Witches, Losing, Learning, Awkward Silence’_

“LMAO He’s a tsundere too? HAH well, actually yeah that makes sense. Klepto..impulsive yes..empathetic? I mean..I guess? He has his moments. Oh sweet Mephisto, this is..poetic to say the least.” 

_Likes..Lucifer?_

_Isn’t that in the wrong category?_

Seeing Lucifer's name there made the mocking cease, he had even said he respected and loved their oldest brother but to see it ingrained right down into his code..it made him feel sympathetic towards the other tsundere, the other likes and dislikes earned at least a chuckle though.

As the scent of food made its way into the lower floor, and all throughout the dorm the sleepy, grumpy demon reared his head again, convenient given the food was now being served. “YO! Why didn’t either of ya come wake me up! Move over Levi, ya hoggin’ the sofa.”

_He definitely didn’t see who he was roomed with._

“Agreed” A deep voice boomed from the entrance of the room, causing all three of them to freeze up at once, the hair on the back of everyone's necks stood up. “I for one am dying to sit down, it’s been a very long day.”

_O-oh no.._

“L-lucifer! We were wondering where you’d gotten to! H-here have some udon!” As quick as a cat Leviathan shot up out of his seat and grabbed a bowl of the noodles, offering it as kindly as he possibly could, so not to anger him.

“Mmmhmm yes, you all looked very worried about my whereabouts, please continue.” The oldest brother smirked deceptively and cast his gaze at his second youngest brother, doing a subtle double take at the chains around his jeans and the leather jacket on his back; if anything he looked like he’d stepped out of a human movie from the 60s or 70’s era. “Mammon...what in Devildom have you done to yourself this time? Why are you dressed in that ridiculous outfit and where is the leech?”

_Dude...you might want to look in a mirror before you say that._

_And I’d really prefer not to be the one to break the news about Satan, only Em is probably curious too._

“Ehh dontcha like it? I thought I looked awesome!” The second brother rolled up his sleeve causing everyone to go bug-eyed. “I even found out about this beaut.” Revealing a huge, arms length koi fish tattoo complete with sakura petals in a pond. “Well can’t say I’m surprised I look good with some ink! But your outfit is just as bad though...ya look like a teacher or somethin’.” The 70’s demon laughed, his hand over his mouth as he snickered at his older brother, trying to relieve some of the tension between everyone. 

Levi tittered nervously, unable to look Lucifer in the eye, was he really wearing a burgundy blazer, not black? Of course he had a black shirt underneath with a vest on, with dark fitted jeans and dress shoes to match. It was weirdly casual for a man like him who always tended to dress too formally for any sort of event, in fact the only time the crimson eyed demon didn’t overdress for the occasion were any of Diavolo’s gatherings and anything formal.

The sadistic demon uncharacteristically laughed at his younger brother's remark, which caused apprehension among the others, when Lucifer was amused it was never actually a laughing matter. He simply strided over confidently towards the small mirror in the lounge area and checked himself out, not a care in the world as he revealed. “Oh, I am the teacher. According to this game's rules, it chose well given the fact I always seem to be having to keep you all in line. So...go on, where’s Satan? I saw him earlier and he was acting...oddly. Which I suppose isn’t anything new.”

“Actually yeah...where is he?” Em glanced up at Levi and Mammon, trying to read their expressions, unsuccessfully. “And what do you mean he was acting strange?”

“W-well uhhh y-y’see…” Mammon started.

_I have no idea where to begin._

“What in God's name are you all doing? You can’t just idle here willy nilly, we have exams! We need to study and study hard!” Here was the man of the hour himself, the student president marched into the sitting area, causing it to become quite cramped now. “I ran a background check on you both, it seems Stupidmammon hasn’t actually committed any huge offences and you..Levia-chan correct? You’re clear of any crimes.”

Upon the sight of him for some unknown reason, Em burst out into laughter and had to turn away whilst the drama continued. The otaku eyed her, wanting to know what was so funny but she just mouthed. “His profile” and hoped that the others hadn’t read her lips.

_Ahhh..I wonder what Satans says and Lucifer..what the hell is on his likes? Whips?_

_Diavolo?..t-the two combined?_

The two men who already knew about the fate of their golden haired sibling just groaned and facepalmed, waiting with baited breath for Lucifer's reaction; it was perhaps one of the few times you could actually read the shock on him. His eyes shrunk and he gave a look of confusion, anger which wasn’t anything new and concern? For Satan? 

_Nah I must be seeing things. He’s probably just pissed that Satan mentioned our Fathers name_

_I mean sure, I slip sometimes but it’s due to the amount of human tv shows I watch. To say don’t take the lord's name in vain and all that, they sure like to curse with it a lot._

The teacher strutted over to the student president and gazed down at him in a threatening posture, examining the clothes he was wearing, possibly checking if it was actually Satan and not some body double, Lucifer had played a few games in his time, not many but some in an attempt to bond with his brothers; particularly Leviathan, and from what he had learned these sorts of video games always had weird twists and plot holes that never made any sense, so he’d come to expect foul play at every turn since being downloaded into this world.

“What in Devildom are you talking about, exams? Ahh you’re in that stupid roleplaying mode aren’t you?” Quickly coming to the conclusion it was his brother after all, he decided to end the farce and gripped him by the collar. “Turn it off.. **now.** And if you ever dare speak of that man's name again so casually, I will sew you back on my body and burn that library down.”

_Ooof he’s really not happy…_

_I should probably do something..but why can’t I stop watching._

“E-excuse me! Get your hands off me!” Satan slapped the teacher role away, unwillingly causing even more anger to flare up for the both of them as he re-adjusted his glasses. “I don’t know the teaching methods in your previous school, but here in Hiyu Academy, you’re not allowed to touch students or I’ll report you..I’ll have you know, my father is actually the principal.”

_Your..father?_

_What?_

_Damn ...this roleplay mode actually sounds like fun and I hate myself for thinking it._

_But if it’s going to brainwash me like..that then I’d rather not take the risk._

Suddenly all of their phones buzzed at once and Satan blinked quizzically, taking the glasses off and looking rather confused like he didn’t know where he was or how he got here. “L-lucifer?” He looked over at the others. “Levi..Mammon..Em. H-how did I get here? Why am I wearing glasses?”

The strict demon let go of his brother as if he were flicking a fly, but even he was puzzled as to what made Satan come back to his senses, was it scaring him with the thought of his beloved haven of books being burnt down or the maybe the thought of being physically stuck together was too much to bare? He may have struggled with emotions but it was apparent fear was something even he’d come to recognize.

The others quickly explained how he’d acted, not recognizing any of them and apparently he’d already bumped into Lucifer earlier on but ran off before he could say anything to him.

Stirring the cup of tea in his hand with a spoon, Satan exhaled slowly, it was a lot to take in. “And I just..stopped? Hmm, I chose that mode because it intrigued me and I’ve read about roleplaying online and wanted to give it a try. Levi...you’re the expert in these things, any theories?”

“Uhhh..well it’s possible that it’s timed? Or maybe it’s for a certain event? Satan what’s the last thing you remember before the Student President act.. took over?”

“Well, I remember reading the tutorial…”

Levi winced whilst the others shot him a knowing look, they’d explained everything to Lucifer too, who’d just wandered around lost for most of the day and ran into several NPCs trying to strike up a conversation with them before ultimately re-reading the tutorial and making his way to the dormitory and hearing the loud voices.

“Ah that’s right, I saw you Em I think, you were off in the distance in a park of some sort examining the flowers, I wanted to go over to you but it was like as soon as my eyes focused on you...I was gone.”

Everyone looked at the supposed harem-king for an answer, but he’d never actually been pulled into a game before except for VR and that was consensual. In the end he just settled with what he knew. “It sounds like it’s timed and Em might be the trigger, hell if that counted as your introduction with her...ah! Satan can you read your backstory to us? P-please?”

“Ugh, I..I’d rather not. It’s a little..” The worried expressions on everyone's face caused him to resign himself as he scrolled up the welcoming text. “Okay, just bare with me, I’ll read it word for word.”

The childhood friend trope and the money loving tsundere felt like Christmas was coming early this year, from the blush on their brothers face. Em just shifted her gaze over to Lucifer who’s expression darkened, he looked fed up beyond words, but she had to admit the teacher trope really did suit him. “Backstory: After a troubled childhood and living through your parents divorce you engulfed yourself in your studies which led to a lack of moral understanding and empathy towards your peers, however you’ve always had an affinity for animals. You will meet Player name: Em. C on Day 1 in the park and admire her from afar.” As soon as he finished his sentence his green eyes turned icy and unforgiving, sensing everyone hiding their amusement, biting their lips and trying to remain straight faced.

_So Satan got not only the nerdy goody-two shoes Student President, but he’s also a creeper?_

_Damn. Maybe I would’ve had a chance._

_I’m..kind of tempted. But we’ll see what the rest of the rules are first._

Em was the first to break. “I-I have to say it’s really fitting.. The studying and the animals..” And even being a heartbreaker of women, but she did not want to rock that boat.

The others opened their mouths to make a joke or two but were interrupted.

“Attention all players, now that you’ve all had your introductory period the first event is about to begin. Please direct your attention to your phones, the first event is free but if you have a valid credit card there are others you may choose from, if you have not selected an option within ten minutes you will be automatically selected for the free event.”

“Eh wha?! I never even got to eat!” Practically inhaling the now cold bowl of udon Beelzebub-style, the second in line cried out and patted his stomach, making quick work of the food. “Not bad actually..Levi I gotta give ya a big thumbs up for that.”

The blonde merely hummed, he was still not on good terms with him after all. And the head of the house dabbed his lips with a napkin as he finished the rest of his own portion off, the flavour wasn’t bad he had to agree on that, but he was still angry with Leviathan for lying to him all the time, at every single opportunity, plus the others would have a heart attack if all of a sudden he made a nice comment.

However after learning from the owner what had transpired in the bar yesterday, taking it out on Mammon and even Levi...maybe just one tiny compliment wouldn’t end the three realms. “Leviathan.”

The purple haired demon hissed with his teeth, waiting for some sort of cold remark or even a punishment for poisoning his brother, but Lucifer's obsidian eyes had a tiny glint in them, a speck of pride for someone other than himself. “It wasn’t bad..maybe saute the onions a little more next time.”

_D-did Lucifer just...compliment me? Wow. I guess anything is possible here._

_Is Em liking me back on that list of possibilities?_

_Or a maid event? I’ll take what I can get at this point._

The teacher role leant back on the sofa and took his own device out, his face changed from one of being fed up, to one of being intrigued. “Oh, well. This game is rather...unique. So according to the event rules here, Em is the one who chooses if we pay for one of these other events or not...I suppose it’s up to you, but there are some...interesting choices I’d rather avoid.

“H-how about we all look and we’ll discuss it and come to a decision? I..I don’t really want to be the one to choose, and well, it depends on how much money they'll cost. I don’t earn THAT much working in the library a few hours a week.”

“That’s a wonderful idea! I shall look again, but I think I’ve already made my decision.” The bookworm spoke with conviction, praying that a fellow animal lover like her would opt for the same event.

Everyone took out their retrospective devices, there was a mixture of reactions among them. The human girl looked impressed with the amount of choices, Satan was trying to mask his excitement for a certain one, Lucifer's face never changed but it looked like he’d decided on one as he slid the device back into his jeans pocket, still not used to the different fabric concealing his legs. However Mammon seemed a little too happy about the event choices, rubbing his hands together like some sort of shounen villain and lastly it was Levi’s turn to look.

On the screen in front of him there was a mess of overflowing tabs and icons with big price stickers slapped onto them. 

‘Free event: Karaoke, sing your hearts out to win the affection of the woman you love!’

_Ugh...I prefer to sing alone so that’s out of the question. It sounds fun but..kind of cringy._

‘Only ‘6000 grimm for a LIMITED TIME: Animal Event, unleash your inner beast in this cute event filled with cats,giraffes,wolves and tigers!’

_ONLY 6000 grimm? Dude that’s a LOT of money! And what a weird choice of animals, I understand cats but...why a damned giraffe? I wish I could’ve been a fly on the wall when they had a board meeting in the studio and thought that was a good idea._

Next up was a beach event, even though he adored the ocean, the fish and the feel of sand in between his toes, he instantly swiped left due to his self esteem. There was no way he wanted the game to put him topless, even if she’d already seen a peek of him without a shirt on. But then the other brain started working and he dragged the touch pad the other way. 

‘SUN, SEA AND SOAKERS! The Beach event WAS 10,000 grimm but for a LIMITED TIME it’s 9,500!: Go scuba diving, sunbathe together or have the time of your life in a super soaker fight!

_Hmm..I wonder if she’d wear a two piece in this. In animé the girls tend to wear a sunhat and a dress though. Only the ones with fanservice would allow their characters to wear revealing stuff, what’s this games rating again? I mean… I could…._

_But..would she be comfortable with that? Probably not. Although I think I found the event that Mammon is wanting to pick by the creepy smirk on his face._

_And I still need to talk to him about her. Okay..next event._

He reluctantly scrolled past the sexy sounding beach event and rolled his eyes at the other choices, a very overpriced vampire event, a fairytale prince event that made him want to gag and lastly a butler event. 

_No maid event…_

_I don’t want to be a damned butler._

_I guess...the best choice is probably Karaoke. Plus remember what she said about money, she doesn’t make a fortune. It’s a shame we didn’t play this on my Zwitch, I would’ve happily paid for anything she wanted._

_Even the stupid fairytale event because I know she’s into that sort of thing._

“Okay, we haven’t go- hang on a sec! What’s this gacha thing? Mind if I try a spin?”

_Mammon, no!_

_The drop rates are horrendous on those things!_

Mammon yes, and to Levi’s shock and horror Em also fell for it, of course she wasn’t used to this sort of genre yet and wasn’t aware of the dangers of getting hooked on the mindset of just one more wouldn’t hurt. “Oooh actually go ahead Mammon! It says here we could get special rewards like rainbow pizza, ramen noodles, cupcakes, apple pie..and apparently one of the events if we get super lucky!”

“E-em I know it’s your money but I really wouldn-” 

_You’re going to gamble all your hard earned money away!_

A second too late, both the gambling brother and the sheltered human girl spun the wheel, their faces were full of anticipation. Lucifer and Satan didn’t have a clue what was happening but watched as both of the gamblers faces dropped into ones of disappointment. 

And then the dreaded sentence was uttered. “J-just one more go couldn’t hurt could it guys?” As Mammon rolled on the gacha again and again, with Em joining him. They weren't able to get anything, just R items they’d never use; a notebook, some scissors and a rubber duck. And apparently a few skill ups of items the Avatar of Greed already had in his inventory. 

“Okay...so did you learn your lesson?” Levi started, gazing at Ems pitiful pout. Well he’d tried to tell them but the two got carried away, using their free spin and then paying for several more.

“Forgive me for interrupting you two but..”Lucifer held up the device, it was counting down from 10. “We’re out of time. So apparently we’re going with Karaoke, and that was my choice in the beginning anyway.” He laughed in a smug expression at the others but the smile dropped at the gacha addicts. “Em, I’m disappointed in you, you need to learn more self control. But...seeing as it’s your birthday next week, I’ll give you the grimm back for this game and any money YOU spent. Mammon however…can pay you back himself, seeing as he didn’t even have the manners to ask you before spending the grimm.” It was an unusually tame punishment from him which made Levi actually begin to suspect if his brother had emotions other than disappointment or scorn for everything other than himself and Diavolo.

The demon who was now in debt hung his platinum spikes in shame. “Ughhh..sorry..I just got excited seein’ all the glowy things poppin’ up! It’s a rush y’know?” He looked over at the girl apologetically. “I’m really sorry Em..yeah I’ll pay you back..when I can. But I actually wanted Karaoke so I guess things worked out in the end anyway!” He lied through his teeth. 

“I-it’s okay, I lost my cool too. Lucifer's right. But thank you..both.” Still feeling stupid the girl grew quiet, sensing the disappointment from Leviathan as he gave her a shake of the head and smirked, hiding his contempt for Mammon right now.

_Liar! I know for a fact you wanted the swimsuit event. To think you wanted to drool over Em in a one-piece...scum.._

_O-ok..I’m a hypocrite scum too_

The only disappointed one in the room seemed to be Satan, it was obvious which event he chose. “Well that’s a shame, I would’ve liked to have been surrounded by all those cute animals, especially the cats…What about you Levi, what did you pick. I’m curious.” He faced the otaku with a knowing smirk, the entire party had heard his brothers gasp at the beach event.

“I actually wanted Karaoke too… I was actually tempted by the be-” he started.

“AHA! LEVI’S A PERVERT!”

_Mammon I’m THIS close to revoking your rival rights!_

As soon as he opened his mouth to defend himself the devices all buzzed again and the eerie voice announced itself, shifting the room around them into a much larger one, the sofa grew in length, the tiny kitchen became a full bar and now there was a huge TV and a disco floor in front of them.

“Thank you for choosing the Free Event: Karaoke. Each Love Interest will be given a predetermined song to sing to the player named: Em C. The lyrics will appear on the TV screen so no need to worry about memorization. Em C may sing from a selection of their own if they wish. Intimacy points will be rewarded to whoever she picks as first place.

The game has now officially started, may the best rival win.”  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked all the jokes and humor poking fun towards the genre..and maybe I enjoyed making a few digs at Obey Me personally.
> 
> The RP thing was also a fun twist I thought about late into planning this but I'm sorry for the lack of fluff in this chapter, this will be a pretty indepth arc and I'm fleshing the game out as much as I possibly can.
> 
> Lastly, I want to thank my friends Ru and Peaks for all their help with this chapter, and of course my fiancé for proofreading as always.
> 
> Just a bit of fun on my end but if you convert the binary code from the NPC online you might get a little laugh! https://www.rapidtables.com/convert/number/binary-to-ascii.html
> 
> Oh and I have a special Christmas present in store for my readers, a more comedy focused version of the fic in Ems POV where she'll be the one simping for Levi so expect tsundereness and Ruri-chan shenanigans https://archiveofourown.org/works/28264752/chapters/69263964


	54. Let the Games Begin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Karaoke event makes for a fun time for everyone.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Content warning: Alcohol

Looking down at the now dark wooden floor, they realized they were no longer actually in the dorms or if they were then the game had transformed the place entirely like a simulation. It was dimly lit with surface-mounted lighting, fake looking table lamps and pendants hung from the ceiling to give the large room a navy blue tint. There were numerous ink black sofas with tiny round tables, all separated with walls or booths as they faced a spacious retro looking dance floor with disco tiles on the floor. 

Em peered her head up towards the back of the establishment and spotted a podium, and a massive TV screen; much bigger than hers, Levi’s or Mammons put together. In fact it could have easily been used as a home cinema given the correct seating arrangements and speakers that were hidden, but incredibly noticeable. As an audio enthusiast Levi’s jaw dropped open at the size of the speaker systems, to afford those sorts of monsters he would have to get a job in Diavolo’s castle as a butler at the very least. Even the four sizable speakers he owned had chipped away at his salary, especially after forking out for the aquarium.

_Oh man I’d KILL for these! If only I could put them in my inventory and take them home with me..._

_Ugh I’m sounding like Mammon._

Drool almost poured out of his mouth as he crept closer to ogle the audio devices, but Lucifer snapped him out of it and huffed. “Well, it’s not too shabby. It reminds me of the likes of Ristorante Six when they have an event. This floor is a little peculiar though... “ He tutted at the tacky tiled rubix cube-like dance floor.

“Eh, you’re not meant to judge it Lucifer, ya meant to dance on it!” Mammon however, was in his element in this sort of setting. “Oooh I bet there’s a buncha cute waitresses or somethin’! C’mon, I wanna drink!” The happy-go-lucky demon grabbed his shut in brother and pulled him forcefully away from checking out the speakers and whisked him towards the bar. Em and Satan followed.

_Why would I want to look at waitress NPC’s when Em is here? Pfft you’re not a very loyal rival, are you?_

They all stopped in front of the large white marble countertop, five tall bar stools placed strategically against it, but there were no attractive staff members around, it seemed like they were alone here. “Interesting design...you know I think the devs might actually be American? Or at the very least not Japanese. I mean for one they got the mood all wrong, this feels more like a normie nightclub than a traditional karaoke bar you see in animé, the disco thing is really tacky and belongs in the 60’s along with Mammon’s outfit LOL. Honestly it’s like they didn’t have a clue what they were doing and just looked up a bunch of club designs on Ooogle and mashed them all together, collected their paycheck and called it a day.” He paused for a breath and then laughed. “I can see why THIS is a free event now.”

Instantly Em chimed in with her own review of the place, amused and impressed at how long Leviathan could ramble for in just one breath, but then it was one of his strengths. “Oh you’re right! You know I was thinking this place looked strange..maybe the separate rooms are DLC or something? Or maybe this isn’t actually where we’ll be? You’re right about the disco tiles though, I don’t think I’ve seen a floor like this except for in old movies.”

"DLC? Actually I didn't think about that but it makes sense... I mean nearly everything seems to be stuck behind some sort of pay wall in this game…" 

“You know for once...I have to agree with you Levi, the theming is a little...off. It seems whoever created this world didn’t really know what they were doing. But then we already knew that when they decided to make Lucifer a teacher of all things.” The mouthy blonde turned to his older brother, the small girl sandwiched awkwardly between the two. Only that might prove as an advantage, they wouldn’t dare throw hands with her in the middle. “So what would your class be in hmm? How to isolate your family? Controlling 101?”

_Oh not again.._

_Come on guys!_

“Watch your tongue leech. I don’t want to have to dirty my clothes. And what would you teach hmm? Temper tantrums? Cat hoarding? Hmph, it can go both ways you know. That snark is something you picked up from me, doesn’t it make your blood boil?” The controlling teacher archetype fired back with equal sass.

“G-guys! Please can you not fight in here? A-as my birthday gift?” With quick thinking she played the birthday card, an age old trick across all realms to get someone to do someone's bidding without a pact, plus the poor girl had listened to this sort of back and forth arguing over the past week. However in the moment Em was really regretting not outright asking both of them to make pacts with her so she could easily put a stop to the bickering.

“Ugh, it’s no good Em. Lemme try.” All the second brother really wanted was a nice drink if allowed, a comfy seat and maybe a cute NPC or two to appreciate. He beckoned her to go join Levi on one of the barstools, who was having fun spinning around whilst admiring the wine glass displays and wedged himself in between the walking greek mythology complex. “Uhh..L-lucifer! Come sit down and grab a bourbon or somethin!”

Hearing the persuasion regarding alcohol caused Levi to halt from spinning, Em now next to him propped up on her own stool, swinging her legs that couldn’t even reach the ground. “Actually this game isn’t rated highly enough for alcohol Mammon, sorry to burst your bubble.”

Satan perked up, only to have his hopes crushed. “Oh? That’s a shame, I’m certainly in the mood for something to calm me down now”

“You can sit down and behave yourself, along with the others.” Lucifer snapped, striking a cold unforgiving look at all of them, even Em who flinched in her seat. That in turn earned a protective scowl from the otaku, but the strict demon wasn’t even paying attention to him, his eyes were now focused behind them at the bar.

"Yes Lucifer-sensei" Leviathan mocked playfully, not noticing what the teacher was staring at. 

“Welcome! Well before you all start, what’s your poison? The event won’t begin until you’ve all been served.” An unfamiliar voice bellowed from behind them all causing Levi, Mammon, Satan and Em to all jump in fright, as everyone propelled their head around they came face to face with a large friendly looking man dressed in what was assumed to be a bartender outfit, a black waistcoat with a white shirt underneath and a navy blue tie. 

His jet black hair was slicked back in a cut similar to Lucifers, but the man had a more relaxed, gentle expression as opposed to the permanent stoic appearance the Avatar of Pride always had. “Oh, allow me to explain, because player name: Em C purchased the Akuzon Edition of the game you’re all entitled to free pre-selected drinks for the remainder of your playthrough.”

_W-where did he come from!_

_W-wait like alcohol?! Isn’t that breaking the rating system? What the hell sort of game is this?_

_The next thing will be a strip club event!_

Without thinking the innocent gamer blurted out his inner thoughts. “B-but isn’t this game a PEGA 16 rating? We shouldn’t be allowed to have alcohol! And...why is this place so..normie friendly? Where are the separate rooms with the karaoke screens and the little machines that you buzz for service? I don’t see any of that!”

“OI LEVI, THE NICE MAN IS OFFERING US FREE DRINKS! ”Mammon shot his brother a cold look, shushing him as he turned back towards the NPC bartender who was still smiling at them all, awaiting their orders. “Don't listen to him mister, my brother doesn’t know what he’s talkin’ about. If anythin’ you can give me his seein’ as he just doesn’t want one.”

_That’s not what I’m saying at all! But aren’t you questi- nevermind, why would you...Avatar of Greed._

“Ah you must be talking about the Bullseye version of the game. That includes the bonus VIP rooms and the free drinks. Would you like to upgrade to that version? In your currency that’ll be 20,000 grimm no returns, exchanges or refunds and will be charged directly to the current account holders card.”

_TWENTY THOUSAND GRIMM? DAMN IS THEIR VERSION MADE OF GOLD, DOES IT COME WITH A LIMITED EDITION FIGURINE OR SOMETHING?_

The account holders eyes nearly popped out of her skull at the thought of spending all that money, it was a good thing she’d learned quickly from Levi that Akuzon was the superior shopping service in the Devildom. “T-twenty...t-thousand grimm?...I’m glad I’m sitting down.. I..I don’t even have half of that left in my account after that stupid gacha thing.” If this were an animé a chibi ghost of herself would be spilling out of her mouth and flying off to the heavens.

“W-well I didn’t say I was against a drink! I just didn’t know if we were allowed!” Levi backtracked, causing Em to giggle. He sure had changed his tune rather quickly in her point of view.

“DON’T BLAME THE GACHA, BLAME OUR CRAPPY LUCK EM! Wait, are you saying you got enough for more spins?” 

“Mammon.” Was all Lucifer had to say as he cast an equally cold gaze on his younger brother and turned to the barkeep, crossing his arms to display dominance. “I have to agree with my anxious looking brother, wouldn’t that be breaking the rules?”

“Tsk. Here we go again…” Satan flicked his hair and rolled his head in irritation, grimacing at Em who stayed quiet whilst the brothers argued amongst themselves, she was also wondering why the game was offering them alcoholic drinks. Was this sort of thing normal in otome games? But it would be nice to finally be able to relax with the others in a drinking setting, even if she had just blown all her money on the cursed gacha system.

The friendly member of staff stood still as if he were processing or loading something, and produced a document out of nowhere, slapping it on the front of the bar in front of them as his voice went into a more monotone. “The terms and conditions clearly state here that any player registered is allowed to consume alcohol in game due to the contents being a placebo drink. Any ingame state of inebriation must not affect the players real mental or physical health and is more of a status effect on your characters bodies, however we the makers of Dogi Magi Memoriam have to disclose that you may act out of sorts and behave much like you would in the real world. All transactions are final and are not eligible for a return, exchange or refund after purchase.”

_Sounds more like a debuff effect from World of Battlecraft or something._

_Damn, I have to give it to the developers, that’s a really clever way to fool the rating system...w-well there's no harm in a drink if it’s not actually ME getting drunk then._

“W-wow that was quite a mouthful…” The quiet girl finally spoke up and looked at Lucifer for his response, after his disappointment in her about the gacha gambling she was taking no more chances. “Lucifer..can we?”

The tall demon sighed in defeat, after hearing that the game makers had disclosed everything and it all sounded like it wasn’t breaking any rules, he relaxed his shoulders towards the bartender. “Oh I suppose...it is just a game after all right?” Lucifer tapped the side of the bar next to the contract and beckoned for Em to join him. “Very well, we’ll take the complimentary drinks. Is there a menu?”

“Sorry it’s predetermined from your initial scans, I’ve got a Whiskey sour for yourself, Satan matched with a Mimosa, a tequila for Stupidmammon, a Blue Lagoon for Levia-chan and for the lovely lady Em.C a Blueberry Mojito.”

_A Blue Lagoon? Sounds kind of cool. The most I ever drink is demonus, human wine and once I had some of Lucifer's whiskey as a dare but that’s about it. Everyone got their usual drinks but why did I get something I’ve never tried before? It’s kind of exciting in a way! Em’s drink sounds nice too, blueberry._

_Although she looks kinda confused… has she never had it before either?_

The brothers eagerly awaited their drinks as the NPC grabbed some glasses and reached for his own device. But the sheltered Brit wasn’t sure what a Mojito even was and looked perplexed, Satan noticed this and smiled at her. “There's no need to worry, a Mojito is a very fruit based drink with a bit of mint, it’s actually quite refreshing! You’ll like it.”

She glanced at the men around her with an indecisive expression, it was probably rude to keep them waiting too long and maybe the game would lock them out if they didn’t hurry, just like what had happened with selecting the event. “Hmmm, I-I’ll let you all get your drinks first before I decide on just paying for something I’m familiar with..as long as it doesn’t cost too much.”

“Wow Satan, who died and made you the drinks connoisseur LOL. you’re gonna steal this guys job” The indigo haired demon grinned playfully and turned his attention to the AI character. “Uhhh I’ll take the Blue Lagoon I guess, whatever it is it sounds cool.”

“Ahh Levia-chan, coming right up.” He grabbed a highball tumbler glass from under the counter and tapped his own device, instantly a deep ocean blue liquid filled it to the brim complete with a slice of orange wedged into the side, the sea-loving otaku was instantly all-in for the experiment. 

“Woooaahhh! It kind of looks like a tiny aquarium...c-can I have one of those little umbrella things please? Ah, an orange one if you have them!” The smile on his face only grew in size as a large tangerine coloured umbrella materialized along with a straw and across the counter Em couldn’t help but grin at how happy he looked.

“Oooh thank you sir, t-this looks great!” And of course, one of the things he wouldn’t share with the others was the colour of the drink reminded him of Em’s beautiful blue eyes. Happy with the game's choice, Levi sipped the drink and moved aside so everyone else could get theirs. “Mmmm it’s so good, I’m surprised I can taste it in here if we’re just a simulation of ourselves, but oh well!”

“Ya sure changed your tune quick didn’t ya? I’ll have my tequila please barkeep! Uhh hold the umbrella, and no ice.” The silver haired tsundere turned to his brothers and the human girl in a smug manner. “If ya wanna get drunk quicker, ya never ask for ice! That was one of the first things I learned in the Devildom!”

“You mean you actually learned something? I’m in shock.” Satan muttered under his breath, not caring if anyone heard.

Lucifer let out a dry chuckle at the dig towards the second brother and scanned Levi’s drink, one word came to mind especially with the parasol prop; childish. But even he had to admit it looked rather appealing, but it wouldn’t be to his tastes at all. “And I’ll stick with my whiskey, thank you. Leviathan, slow down” he warned.

The happy otaku kept smiling as he sipped on his alcohol but made a mocking gesture with his lips as Lucifer turned back towards the bar, if anything the threat just made him want to drink it even more hastily. 

“And I’ll take my Mimosa thank you.” 

“Whiskey sour, tequila, Mimosa comin’ right up fellas.” The friendly NPC turned to the ebony haired human and smiled patiently. “And, Em. C are you ready?”

“Uhhh..s-sure, I’ll take the Mojito then, t-thank you.” She nodded towards the bartender and watched as he juggled their glasses effortlessly and the liquid filled up like magic in each glass.”Oh and one of those little umbrellas as well, a purple one please!”

 _Hehe, there’s no need to look so scared..._  
  
“W-well if you don’t like it, you could always.. have a taste of mine?” Levi gestured towards the staff, on the brink of getting an extra straw for her. “And then for the next one we can just swap!”

“If you-” She started.

“Nonsense! She will like it, because the game said she will.” Lucifer glared at his younger brother, there would be no intimate drink sharing on his watch. “Unless you don’t trust the technology you always drone on about back at home?”

“O-of course I do..” He didn’t really have a comeback for that, so just stared ahead and reached into his pocket for the device, but it felt different. He pulled out a navy blue microphone with an orange handle, examining it in total bewilderment and then it hit him, this was the karaoke event after all.

_What the hell? Oh right..karaoke event, ugh I’d better drink up quickly. It’s been ages since I played karaoke and I’m not the best singer in the world. But I promised myself I’d work hard to win this stupid game._

“Gahhh that’s pretty cool!” Mammon took a sip of his tequila and reached for his own pocket, unzipping the leather jacket and revealing something shiny, causing his eyes to spark with joy. “GAHH MINES GOLD! I wonder if I could possibly take it back to the real world and sell it for some decent grimm.”

"If you even attempt that I will rip those tiny bat like wings from your back and feed them to Cerberus. Do I make myself clear?" 

"C-crystal"

Everyone looked down in their hands, the device had all of sudden transformed into a wireless microphone, each a corresponding colour to what the game must have recognized as their favourite colour. Lucifers was black with red, Satans was green with a lime green handle and lastly Em’s was dark green with a purple handle.

“Interesting, I suppose the event is about to start?” The bookworm faced the bartender for an answer who just smiled courteously at him before snapping his fingers and all the lights went out, in their place was a few neon signs lighting the room and disco lights to help create more of a club mood.

“I guess so...but why do I have a microphone? Levi, d-does the MC normally sing in these games too?”

“N-no actually..normally it’s just the LI’s, I guess maybe you get a song too.” A smile crept up on his lips. “W-well I’ve always wondered what your singing voice is like.”

Lucifer looked back and forth at the two, the blush was all too telling and he twirled his own microphone in his hand. “And of course we’re all very looking forward to your song, Em. But I will be the one to win this event, did you know I have my own karaoke machine in my office? I’ve only ever had the chance to use it on a few occasions but, I dare say my voice is something even your idol game characters wouldn’t be able to match with, Leviathan.”

_Why are you so pepped up? Are you going to try to win just to spite me?_

“Now that everyone has their drinks, those of you who opted to play in RP mode will have your characters switched back to active mode, the rest of you will have a few hours to mingle before you will each take it in turns to serenade the lovely Em C, the winner she picks will get a large amount of intimacy points and a special bonus.” 

“Oi Satan before we begin, are ya gonna turn that stupid thing off or what? I know it’s your character but I can’t stand that guy…” Both the tsunderes glared in agreement.

“Ah that’s a good point..for once, Mammon.” Lucifer also faced his blonde haired brother and frowned. “Turn that infernal thing off before it’s too late.”

Satan grit his teeth in rebellion and shook his head. “I think it’s fun, this is a game is it not? Besides, it’s not like I’m hurting anyone.”

“You’re hurting yourself and all of us with how embarrassing it is. **Turn it off.** ”

“I actually thought it sounded fun too! I..I was tempted to try it out when we first got here…” The small girl chimed in but the two clashing siblings weren’t listening.

_Here we go again…they’re fighting even more than usual today._

“Em I wouldn’t even try to get involved right now, once these two get goin’ w-well ya saw what happened the other day.” 

“Ugh fine! Oh look yet again our big, clever, perfect brother gets his own way! Just give me a minute…” Seeing no way out of it without things getting messy for everyone involved, and not wanting Leviathan breathing down his neck if the object of his affections got hurt or scared again, Satan surrendered and turned the mode off, or at the very least he tried. “W-what the hell! It’s still saying it’s turned on?”

“Ahhh..I bet it’s because we’re already technically in the event...welp GG Student President LOL!”

“Ya mean we gotta put up with that ba--” Remembering the profanity filter in place, the Avatar of Greed quickly caught himself. “That bozo again? Ughhh..just shoot me now, a-actually that’s a good point, I might have a gun seeing as I’m part of the mafia.” He began to check his inventory as a last ditch effort out of coming face to face with the obnoxious student role.

“Surely he’s not that bad, guys? From what I saw of him, he was harmless!” The poor innocent human stated, not knowing just how annoying and punchable Satans trope was.

_You weren’t there when he was accusing us of sleeping around with female students and insulting us…_

_What the hell is he going to be like in a bar setting?_

“Ah sorry guys, times up. Well have fun, and if you do find yourselves in need of another drink just summon me by thinking of the word “bartender” along with your drink and it’ll be automatically refilled. Good luck and feel free to sit anywhere you like.” 

The friendly man faced Satan with a smile on his face. “You’ll be teleported into your own space, same rules apply with the drinks but I’m afraid your character won’t get the full experience of this event.”

“Oh. Well that’s a little-” Before he could voice his opinion on the silly consequence, the bookworm disappeared into thin air, luckily he’d been able to finish his first drink. The others hadn’t even gotten to say goodbye or goodluck to him.

_That’s really dumb. But then I kind of get it.._

_I love how the bar NPC has more personality than any other NPC we’ve met so far. The devs clearly knew where to prioritize._

_Hang on! Did he just say we just have to think of the word Bartender and we’ll have another drink? Wow._

_Bartender._

_I need the alcohol for confidence...especially if I’m singing._

“Ah peace and quiet...I’m glad I chose this event!” Someone was certainly not worried about the fourth brother's disappearance and Lucifer found himself strutting to a nearby table.

After replenishing his drink and pushing the concern for Satan’s whereabouts to the back of his mind, Levi made a beeline for the furthest booth from the bar, somewhere secluded and private looking. And as if they were magnets pulling each other together the human girl also had her eye on the same prize, rushing awkwardly to the booth before anyone could beat her.

“Oh you chose the same booth, do you want me to move?” She looked over at the other vacant seats as Levi stopped on his way over, hoping he’d sit and join her.

“N-no of course not! I was actually hoping we could talk.” It took him a second but he unfroze and sat down beside her.

“T-talk?” Her anxiety climbed, why did it always sound bad when someone said they wanted to talk.

_Oh right, duh! She’ll overthink!_

He quickly reassured her, gesturing with both hands to calm down and made sure to show her a warm smile. “LOL nothing serious, just..y’know chatting!”

“O-oh, thank Mephisto I got worried for a second there, you sounded so serious!”

“S-sorry no, heh. So..how are you holding up? Is it too loud for you, do you want me to get anything? Uhh..if I can that is.” 

“Huh? Oh! Do you mean because of what happened at the party? I’m fine here, it’s a small gathering and there’s no strangers..well besides the bar man but he’s an NPC so not a real person.” She sat up at her own statement, slapping her hand on her mouth, darting her eyes over to look at the possibly hurt AI. “W-was that rude to say?”

“LMAO, Em are you seriously worried you just offended an NPC? Don’t worry about it, they don’t have feelings.” That had really tickled his funny bone, she truly was one of the sweetest people he’d ever met. “If it makes you feel any better I can test that out and go insult him?” He said, half joking. “Pega 12 rating insults of course, don’t wanna get us banned.”

The girl threw a horrified look at him and again he laughed to ease the tension, sliding closer to her. “I’m only joking! I just thought maybe you were actually a little stressed out.”

“O-oh..no I’m not! Sorry! I think I just need to shut up and drink!” She slammed her glass down and forcefully glugged to relax herself even quicker.

“I mean it’s not a bad idea, can I join you?” His brow furrowed at the speed of which she was trying to get the ingame effect. “ Just maybe slow down a little? I remember how easily you got wasted last time. This game might have a cooldown period or stacks of effects like in MMOs, so two drinks could be two stacks and then you’re double drunk for a certain amount of time or-...I..I’m rambling about pointless things again aren’t I?” 

“I like your rambling, hell I’ve caught myself doing it more since I met you. And it’s never pointless, it’s interesting because you always think about things outside the box, but of course you can join me, I guess I’ll need you as my chaperone again tonight.”

_Why are you so openly kind..I wish I could be more like that._

_She’s right we both need to just shut up, drink and have fun for once._

“Take your own advice Em, stop thinking and just enjoy tonight. If anything happens I’m here, okay? Oh! I was wondering..” He leant closer towards her and whispered so no-one could overhear them. “What did Satan’s profile say?”

A wide smile appeared on her face, lighting up the dimly lit room for him, and due to the nerves of sitting so closely he’d already drank half of his second drink, it was starting to hit him now just like the evening at Diavolo’s party only there was no drama, no panic attack and he was pretty sure Lucifer didn’t have much of a hold over him in a dating game unless he wanted to explain his actions to Em. 

“Oh..I just remembered my phone turned into a microphone…” The sentence made her giggle at the absurdity and she scratched her head trying to recall it from memory. “I think it said something about Daddy Issues? His likes were cats, crime novels, learning and peace. Oh! And he dislikes Lucifer!”

“LOL That’s hilarious! Daddy issues? AHAHAHA! But you don’t have to be a genius to know that., the other stuff is pretty generic, but then he always has been a bit...hard to figure out. I mean, I get along with him, sort of...” Levi sighed, he still hadn’t been able to make up with the stubborn bookworm and now he had disappeared and would probably be hitting on Em left right and center due to the stupid RP mode.

 _I used to get along with him, these days not so much.._.

“I know right! I guess the game didn’t really know how to describe their relationship during the scan, to be honest when Simeon explained it to me, my head hurt just thinking about it.” The memories of talk flashed in her mind, but so did the concern about his current state. “He’ll be alright in RP mode..right?”

“Oh when did he tell you? H-how much do you know I mean? And yeah I think so, it makes sense why he’s not here to be honest. With you the MC not being in RP mode I can imagine the game struggles a little on where to place the characters, and maybe that’s why we ran into those glitchy girls on the way to the dorm.”

“That’s good..I was just a bit worried about him because of the whole thing with Abaddon recently. Umm..he just told us about him being born out of his wrath? And then tried explaining that they were more like brothers, not to overthink it. Satan himself told me that you all sort of taught him how to be a person? Oh! And Belphie told me about the wing thing when everyone fell... again..my head hurts thinking of that logic, or maybe it’s the drink!”

_Belphie? Didn’t she mention him last time she drank? She must mean Beel._

_Something happened with Abaddon? Oh that might explain why he’s been even more pissy lately._

_Hah yeah..the drink is hitting me too. Nice to know I won’t have a hangover in the morning._

“I mean that’s pretty much all there is to it, along with Lucifer ripping his wings off.” That wave of confidence hit now he knew both of them were getting tipsy or whatever you could call it in this world. “Oh the drinks hitting you already? Time to protect my floofy hair, maybe I should check the game items for a hat or something.” He pulled a smirk and winked at her whilst pretending to shield himself.

“Oh ha.ha.ha.” She said in a sarcastic tone.“Well bringing it up again just makes me want to do it more.” Reaching over to him Em ruffled his bangs, making a bit of a mess of his lilac mop and swept them away from his eyes, showing even more of his literal god given face as she admired it. 

“You’re going to pay for that!” Grabbing her head with both of his hands he ruffled the sides and swooped his arm over her own bangs, causing her to resemble a black maned lion from all the frizz. “There, even cuter.” He flicked her forehead gently and smiled at her as he rested his head on his hand, in turn Em burned red and the two searched for something else to talk about before things got too romantic. 

_My brothers are across the room.. I can’t do anything stupid._

Returning back to the alcohol was his best bet here. “Ahh umm..t-this drink is really good! Are you sure you don’t want a taste?” He held his straw out teasingly, unaware he was suggesting an indirect kiss. 

Em flickered her eyes around them, across the bar Mammon was keeping his brother occupied, he’d gone a little off the rails hearing that the drinks were unlimited and Lucifer found himself having to be his chaperone as the tanned demon had to lean against the wall to keep himself up. Although the pair of them still wondered where Satan had gotten to, unbeknown to them he was teleported into position and the student president would enter when it was time.

She nodded enthusiastically and leaned over his chest, taking a big sip of the Blue Lagoon. Levi’s lips had been on this same straw, it wasn’t anything to write home about of course but still her heart soared. It was similar to her drink, perhaps a little stronger than her own drink but really tangy.

“Are you enjoying that?” He chuckled at how much she was drinking, well at least she liked it. It was another thing they had in common in his eyes.

“Hmm? Oh, s-sorry yeah I can’t even taste the alcohol to be honest, same as mine! Ah I need a refill actually.” As those words were uttered the drink filled up in an instant. “Want to try mine?”

“I do actually, I really like blueberries..” 

“H-here” Em was still holding her glass and began to pass it over to him so he could help himself, but instead he brought his head forward and sucked the straw confidently whilst keeping his gaze on her. Not caring about the lack of personal space as she flinched in surprise. 

He was so close, those thin but perfectly shapen lips taunting her yet again, and if it were possible tonight he looked even more attractive even though he was dressed in a blue school blazer and pants, the half done tie gave him a bit of sexy edge as well as the three buttons that were loose, revealing a portion of his neck and collar bone. 

“Mmmmm..not bad, I thought I’d be able to taste the mint more.” Again realizing his actions, he winced apologetically, snapping her out of the trance. “Sorry..didn’t mean to take your drink hostage like that LOL I guess the drink effect really is pretty strong.”

“It’s fine! It just..caught me off guard. But it’s nice to finally be able to sit with you like this, without worrying about anything right now because well..there’s nothing we can do in here.”She stirred her newly replenished drink with a straw, lost in thought and trying to control the redness in her cheeks. “It’s weird isn’t it? We haven’t had a chance to talk to each other properly since we started playing this game.”

“Hah...you say that like you enjoy being with me.” He averted his eyes and fixed his bangs, trying to sound casual, pulling himself back away from her but his arm was placed strategically behind. “But you’re right, it’s kind of peaceful, besides all the weird glitches and stuff.”

“Well duh, of course I do.” She pulled her tongue out and smiled at him again, the drink already starting to take effect as her dormant playful side began to shine through, her tolerance in the real world truly was as small as her. 

Frowning at him moving further away, Em boldly nestled in to him and gazed up confidently at him. “I told you yesterday, it’s weird when you’re not around.”

He couldn’t hide the nervous gulp as he scanned how close she was, leaning against him like this, this was dangerous especially in their condition. But not wanting to ruin the moment, Levi pulled her closer and spoke with conviction. “Then I guess…that means I should be by your side as much as possible.”

That caught her and her heart off guard again and she snuggled up into him, his arm wrapping around her. "I'd love that.." but there was one question left to ask whilst she could gather the strength, it was incredibly risky but she could always say she meant as a friend if he rejected her. "Levi? Do you..like me?" 

_Are you asking me what I think you are? Why?  
  
I mean, why am I surprised. You've obviously figured it out haven't you? Satan really needs to give you more credit._

_The timing sucks...but I think I can say it, and if she just means as a friend then I can easily dodge it._

It was here, the moment he'd been waiting for all this time, the question that would end a torturous slow burn in romance manga. It would make or break their relationship but the strangely confident demon wanted to answer honestly, he just needed to find the right words.   
  
"I-"

“Of course he does” A deep voice purred into his ear and he felt another, larger hand crushing his shoulder. "I like you too Em, in the way a demon _should_ like a human" 

Levi’s blood ran cold at the voice and whipped his neck around and arm away at the speed of light. Lucifer was leaning against the back of the booth's cushion with a snide grin as he pressed even harder on the otaku’s shoulder blade. He could kiss the alone time with her goodbye now, just once he wished his brother would give him a break. 

“I do hope we’re not interrupting anything over here, but ensuring Mammon didn’t drink himself to death became quite tedious and I’ve only been able to have one drink.” With a face like thunder Lucifer pointed behind him at the very jolly looking brother dancing like a drunken relative at a wedding, swishing his fingers as he moved with the music, completely lost in his own little realm as the lights on the puzzle-like floor flashed randomly.

If only she'd asked the question sooner, now she couldn't help but wonder if there were some outerworld beings driving the pair of them apart, everytime she almost kissed him or did something, they were interrupted by someone. “Pfffft, How many drinks has he had? The event hasn’t even started properly yet!” 

A lack of good timing seemed to really have it in for the poor lovestruck demon as the wasted man danced his way over, slurring his speech as he threw his arms affectionately around Lucifer. “Luuciiii ain’t ya gunna join me? Or Em! My lovely lil Em, come an’ dance wif me! Before Levi beats me to it again!”

_Seriously I want to just be with her and talk. Every damned chance I get one of them always has to show up._

_Can the event at least start now so I don’t have to watch him trying to steal her away? Or watch those cursed normie dance moves?_

“Uhhh what the hell, why not!” She felt like had no choice but to cater to him in here, if everytime the others wanted to do something with her and she refused then maybe they’d click on to her feelings. Of course Satan was already aware but if he was in RP mode then surely his character would be trying to woo her as well. 

Mammon beamed at her and cheered, fist pumping the air with incredible enthusiasm, before grabbing her and pulling her onto the dance floor with him. “Ya gotta show me your moves Em, I betcha you’re good cuzza that game ya play with Levi all the time!” 

“Oh Dance Now? I mean I’m not perfect at it, and the game isn’t really suited for this type of music..what even IS this song?” She laughed as Mammon started busting out some seriously old style moves, but soon found herself joining in with the fun; not a care in the world.

Across the room Levi watched them both, transfixed on her laughing and joking with his brother. He knew it was a game and this was the whole point of it, if Beel were here he’d be getting a huge lecture about keeping the envy and jealousy in check but he couldn’t help it. There was still that tiny part deep down inside him that was worried one of his brothers might be more her type, but that was why he had to really prove it to himself and her that he could win this game, and hopefully her heart by the end of it.

The rhythm game expert and the drunken demon continued to mess around, pulling all sorts of cringy dance moves as they concentrated more on outshining the other in the worst ways. This must have been how the two got along whilst he wasn’t around, playing off each other like this, it was honestly refreshing to see someone treating Mammon equally, but he had even said himself that Em treated him differently than his exes ever had. 

The prideful demon saw the display as an opportunity to perhaps plant a seed of doubt in Levi, but after observing the pair earlier and seeing how happy and confident his self doubting brother was around her, it caused a shred of guilt in him and he drank another whiskey to convince himself it was for the best.

After successfully stopping a drunken confession he was preparing the words he’d held on his tongue to Levi for weeks now when an all familiar voice shrieked from the door next to the bar. Satan- no, the student president had returned and he did not look happy, the glasses were back on and his clothes looked a little dusty as if he’d fallen or been running. Levi rolled his eyes, mentally preparing himself to interact with his brother whilst this drunk, with that smart-ass character type it was going to be difficult for the pair of them to get along.

“AHA! I knew it! Caught red handed!” The RP’er stormed over to the dance floor and took Ems hand as she looked at him with a confused expression, she’d been enjoying dancing and letting her hair down and he was ruining it. “You’re in big trouble! Drinking, trying to seduce the female students? AND those ghastly dance moves should be illegal! Stupidmammon, I hope you haven’t unpacked your suitcase because I’ll be hauling you straight out of here come morning!”

Mammon blinked at him slowly and then started chuckling, grabbing his hand instead. “Awh come on Satan or whateveryournameis in here, we’re just havin some fun! Are ya jealous? Do you wanna dance with your big bro?”

“G-get your hands off me you hoodlum!” Now they were in for it, the red anger symbol was bursting on the side of his head as he turned towards Lucifer who had just necked down his whiskey in advance to his entrance. “And you! You’re the teacher! Why are you allowing this sort of behaviour to take place, this poor defenceless girl is being seduced and you’re just...allowing it. You disgust me.”

“Oh how I hate you, even more so when you’re acting like this. Go on, get it all out of your system. It’s quite amusing to watch.” The sadistic teacher grinned, encouraging the whining from the roleplay. 

“Tsk I’ll deal with you properly when I can, and your teaching licence will be revoked after this! Levia-chan I thought you and I could get along but this is despicable. It looks like I was right not to trust you after all! Come on...um, sorry I forgot your name? I’ll take you back to the dorms.” 

_You’ll do no such thing. RP mode or not._

“Actually I’m having fun here Satan! Don’t you want to join? Surely being uhhh...class president is super stressful?” Thanks to having read the tutorial, Em had learned that her actions and dialogue could influence what the characters did in RP mode. So suggesting for Satan to join them was hopefully going to work in her favour as it looked like the archetypes were for lack of a better term; whipped. “And I guess I’m called Em.C to you?”

“Hmph, it's the student president actually, which means I have a lot more power. But, I’ll tell you what. If these idiots can beat me in a game of karaoke then I will leave, but if I win then I will report them tomorrow as soon as my piano recitals are over. " As the betting words left his mouth, the bartender clapped and the theatre sized screen flashed, the actual event was about to begin. 

* * *

_These lyrics are….depressing. Yeesh. Is this really what the game picked out for me? The drink was a nice surprise but this is just..sad._

It wasn’t required but he’d insisted on reading the lyrics on a screen tablet, along with headphones to listen to the beat before actually getting to sing. He was surprised it was even allowed, as it could be considered cheating but the other rivals had quickly opted for the same treatment, each in their own booths.

Unfortunately due to time constraints for the event Em's chance to sing had been revoked apparently, another thing he would be sure to mention on the review for this cursed game. 

Levi’s song was EDM like and had game sound effects, it was cute he had to admit; almost like something from an anime OP. But as he kept reading the lyrics over and over, his otaku scanning abilities coming in handy, he noticed that the song wasn’t one that sounded like someone who wanted to work hard for what they wanted.

_Ugh there’s not enough time to even try to rewrite this, I guess I’ll just have to go with it. Hopefully Em doesn’t read into the meaning too much, it’s kind of ironic my song is about having no confidence when I’ll be the one singing it..infront of the girl I love._

_I-isn’t this basically a confession?_

_Didn’t think about that, did you game? Just how deep of a scan did you go into my brain?_

As he swiped over on the tablet for what must have been his fifthtieth re-read, there was an announcement from outside of the booth. Time for the first act and unfortunately the drink effect was wearing off already. 

Levi darted his eyes around, Mammon looked like he hadn’t even read anything and probably hadn’t even been able to comprehend his lyrics in such a state. Satan's booth held the student president who was about to burn his eyes into the tablet as he read, studying like it was a final exam. 

A large image of Lucifer dressed as his character, holding an apple popped up on a large screen behind him as Em sat awkwardly sipping her Mojito both dreading and anticipating this first activity with everyone, just how in the Devildom was she supposed to judge them fairly. 

Deep down she was terrified that every action or word from Levi would cause this intimacy meter to call her out and reward him with extra points than if his brothers said or made romantic gestures, but she wouldn’t have to wait long to see just how the game worked.

All he could do was watch as his oldest brother took Ems hand and placed a kiss on it, a large smug grin as he tapped to the beat. “I dedicate this song to our beautiful little Em, she has been such a joy to have back at home.” That line would surely rack a few points with her.

“Arcadia” was the name of his song, one that he’d familiarized himself with it seemed as he belted out the worlds effortlessly in perfect harmony with the machine. The stern brother's voice was silky smooth, low but still had a charming tone to it, and just as Em seemed to be enjoying it...

“Take a deep breath

In the usual place...

...I’ll go and make you dream, so wait lady

Rather than those bastards, how about me?”

_W-whoa! What did he just call us? Is that what he thinks about us? Also shouldn’t he be in trouble with the profanity filter right now!_

_Well my song doesn't even mention you so take that asshole!_

He took an angry sip of his drink that seemed to be nearing the end, but the more time passed the more nervous Levi grew, even if he was on his fifth drink. Looking over, the woman was clearly still in shock that Lucifer seemed to think that lowly of his own blood but nevertheless was bobbing her head, taking swigs of her alcohol every few seconds; probably due to feeling awkward.

“Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah

You know I’ll find you, baby.

You are my one and only.

Want to dream eternally with me?

Well, let’s just wait and see, you’ll give your soul to me.”

The song finally came to an end, from his own booth the white haired yakuza grimaced along with Leviathan who looked equally grossed out, if anything it sounded like a cheesy possessive pop song and really didn’t fit to be sung to someone like her, especially given the fact Lucifer still terrified her. 

Satan however, just stared past everyone and kept his eyes on the girl. There would be no competition, this win was as good as his. 

_I wonder who that was really meant for…_

_Diavolo? Maybe? The line about him knowing they want to be with him might be it? Eh..I might be overthinking it. A-anyway time for the score?_

She finished clapping and looked towards the teacher role with a pained smile on her face, she’d enjoyed the beat and his voice but felt uncomfortable throughout the entire experience.Probably because there wasn’t any affection towards the very man who’d gleefully tried to end her life just a few short months ago. But to her own surprise, more text popped up on the screen and the image shifted into the next singer, white hair, surrounded by grimm; it was the second brother.

“Em C has graded Arcadia, the next act will be.... Stupidmammon.”

_Mammon?! Ugh they’re doing it in ranking order aren’t they...which means I’ll be next and Satan will be last._

“Heheh, my time to shine I guess! Although I will say, there might not be any need for the others to sing because my song is so awesome, it’s gonna knock ya socks off” Mammon strutted over, his hands in his jacket pocket as he leaned right over to the girl and winked, hitting her with one fun fact on the way to the platform. “Oh by the way, I’ve got one of the best voices out of all of us.” 

Now sitting happily at the bar with the rest of his drink, Lucifer snickered at the thought of Mammon of all demons winning the event, the prideful persona overtaking him. “Hah I think we all know who’s going to win this. For one, Diavolo once told me my voice was the most beautiful he’d ever heard.”

“Yeah he probably only said that because he’s into you…” The otaku muttered under his breath. 

“Shut up Leviathan. Time to see how our brother makes more of a fool of himself, and then it’s your turn I presume.”

It was a mess before it had even begun, the song had a very club-like vibe to it; not something she’d enjoy at all if you knew her well and to make matters worse the games drunken effect was really getting to the intoxicated demon now, he could barely stand as he leaned against the podium, swaying as he readied himself, but his voice surprised everyone and he was able to rap pretty well despite slurring.

“There’s no copy for my master key

You are my heart’s top desire

This tsundere is madly in love with you”

_Mammon! That’s basically a confession!_

_How the hell can my wimpy sad song beat that?_

“Get ready, you’re my terminal

I’ll say with pride I’m your only one

But my heart is saying, hold me now.”

In all honesty, he was scared to look right now. But he had to gauge her response, as he glanced over it looked like she actually enjoyed the rapping, and she was clapping along for him, cheering him on. His voice had been a nice surprise to her and she certainly wouldn’t forget the song anytime soon.

“In the end, it’s far from over

The idea of you being with someone else

It’s slowly driving me crazy

I can’t win against these thoughts”

_Well that’s hitting a little close to home...no.. snap out of it! You can’t quit now._

_Those moves I pulled earlier when the drink was in full effect...that’s the man I need to be._

Levi closed his eyes and took a huge deep breath, summoning all of that inner confidence he knew he had to muster up for this.

Now that his act was over the tsundere ran over to the girl and begged for her feedback. “Come on, ya gotta admit that was catchy right, right?” 

“It’s not usually my sort of thing but well done Mammon! I did enjoy it! And you do have a lovely voice!”

“HAH TAKE THAT YOU GUYS! I WIN!”

“Pffft, in your dreams. I believe the saying is; saving the best for last?” The school's pet remarked towards the other men, testosterone was thick in the atmosphere now. Above them, just as before the screen shifted into the blurple headed man everyone knew and loved, his picture wasn’t as confident looking as the other two and instead he was laying down, gloved palms hiding his face as blush dusted his cheeks, his tail wrapped around one arm and he was wearing what looked like a leather jacket.

“Awwh look how cute ya look Levia-chan!” The previous act had to stifle his laughter. “Though I hafta say, I’m glad you threw that jacket out years ago, it didn’t suit ya at all!”

“At least my horns don’t look like curly chocolate sticks, and your outfit used to be worse!”

“W-WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY ABOUT MY HORNS?”

“Em.C has graded Are You Ready?...the next act is Levia-chan!”

“Ah what was that? Sorry I have to go sing.” He smirked on his way up to the podium, ignoring the scowls coming from the angry drunk.

_You can do this. Just sing, you can’t do anything about those pathetic lyrics but.._

_Show them what an otaku is made of._

He puffed out his chest, glugging the last of his drink for one last rush of liquid luck and approached Em, who was staring up at him excited to hear what his song was like. As the cutesy tune started to play, to his relief she smiled from ear to ear, as a fellow gamer it was nostalgic to her. “I want to dedicate this song to my best friend, who taught me there’s more to games and animé in life.” Those soft amber eyes gazed down at her. “I’m the man I am today because of you and I don’t know what I’d do without you."

_I wish I could tell you...I love you._

“I thought you'd understand

because we are best friends.

I can't help it.

Even if you said that you can't

agree with my opinion,

I don't know why am I lonely”

His voice came out a little more nervously than he would’ve liked but here he was, singing out loud in front of a strange NPC, three of his brothers and the girl of his dreams, it was better than chickening out and he had to give himself a pat on the back for everything he’d done in this game so far.

The best friend mentioned felt her heart sink and soar all at once, the song sounded so sad but the sweet dedication he’d given it had caused her to want to simply give him a big hug and she’d even toyed with the idea of just kissing him. From the way he’d acted earlier and a few other little hints the cogs began to turn in her mind, was he flirting with her? Was it possible that maybe he felt something more than friendship for a human? It almost felt like the oldest sibling had rushed over at that particular moment on purpose. 

“I don't need this anxiety.

I just want to be confident.

Seems like I can touch you

just by reaching out to you.

Starting from today, I won't

pretend to be strong anymore.

How nice if all my courage could reach you.

Just wait and watch over me from now on.”

Now that it was finally over, the purple haired demon felt his legs give in a little to the nervous release, and his body moved forward towards the judge. Her face was a picture, tears in her eyes, hand over her mouth to hide the emotion the lyrics had brought, and even though it was a little slurred and shaky, Em thought his voice was beautiful in it’s own way, not as refined or charming as Lucifers or as fast as Mammons but it had its own charm.

“Em.C has graded My Chance, the final act is about to begin and will be sung by Satan, the student president of Hiyu Academy!”

“I-I hope you enjoyed that even if it was a bit of a downer, but well...you know me!” Just one more act and they could all leave and hopefully Em wouldn’t give him too much of a bad score.

“I...that...I’m speechless.” She truly was, and if anything more was said then it would have been unintelligible sobs.

_I don’t think she liked it much…_

_Well, it’s Satan's song now._

_I’m expecting loud, angry...metal? music , probably moaning about being Lucifers clone or something, oh or maybe about his emotions?_

_I can’t believe Lucifer called Em baby...and Mammon said he was in love with her, ugh._

_And what did I get? I’m anxious, lonely and to watch over me…great. Yet again, that childhood friend aura I have strikes back._

“Leviii...t-that was some real sad !@#! Bro.” A ping came from his microphone. “Oh shuddup stupid profit filter, ya didn’t do anythin’ for Lucifer! BUT THAT WAS SAD!” Mammon whimpered and shook his younger sibling. His own blue eyes were holding back tears but that could be blamed on the amount of alcohol he’d consumed. “Why ya always gotta be so angsty, breakin’ my damn heart over here! My poor baby bro.”

“Hey yours was angsty too in it’s own way! Mine was just..slower, if I’d have rapped it would’ve sounded happier!” 

The golden haired man looked down on him with contempt and flicked his hair. “Levia-chan, that was almost childish. I know you were friends with this girl years ago and only just moved back. Thanks to your files, so there’s a lot of history between you. But that’s not how a real man shows his feelings. Now if you’ll step aside...I will handle this.”

_I hope you trip on the way up there and bite your tongue off, jackass._

Shoving his way past the otaku, Satan walked over to the podium casually, taking out his own microphone from his pocket and gazed down at Em, a twinkle in those emerald eyes, if everyone else was dedicating things to her then he would too. “I only met you this morning but when I saw how gentle and caring you were with those flowers and you smiled so innocently, it set my heart ablaze. You’re different from the other girls that constantly throw themselves at me, and I’d like to get to know you more.” The brothers all cringed at the cheesy lines and judged Satan and the game developers for writing such garbage, but it seemed he wasn’t finished and knelt down in front of Em, staring up into her eyes with a smile. “Perhaps we could go on a date sometime and I’ll show you the nearby botanical gardens?”

She said nothing as the melody began, but did not look like the romantic dialect was appreciated. If anything Em was weighing up in her mind if she had to oblige to the date because of the game or if declining was actually an option here, luckily he didn’t probe for an answer.

The human bit her lip to not laugh as the screen changed for the final time that evening, Satan was also in his demon form but looked to be wearing feathers or some sort of bird around his neck in the image, she shook her head and concentrated on the man in front of her.

The song was like a love ballad, a piano and a slow sounding tune, which really didn’t help her emotional state left over from Levi’s song. His voice was oddly tender despite being the Avatar of Wrath, so raw with something he thought he lacked...emotion.

“I want to tell you

not to forget me

Words like " I love you "

I have been seeing in books a lot, but...

I didn't know I was so poor at saying it out loud before I met you”

Tears welled up in her eyes, as well as his own as he sang passionately, believing in everything he was saying as his own eyes became dewy. Lucifer was perhaps the only dry eye in the house, Mammon was bawling and even Levi had to admit the song was very emotional. But how he loathed the student president, he was cheesy, inappropriate and smug. Whilst Satan could be those things sometimes, he was still aware of his actions to some degree and had come a long way since first being created all those years ago.

“I thought that there were no more scenery or feelings that I didn't know

The world dyed with your color

I want to protect every last bit of it

This is a song for my beloved one“

_That was intended for Abbadon...wasn’t it Satan?_

_Damn it, you’ve got ME crying!_

He ended the song in a dramatic pose and wiped stray tears from his cheek with a cloth intended to clean his glasses, Levi breathed in slowly, angrily sucking up his tears as they threatened to fall, betraying him in every way.

The tender voiced man wasted absolutely no time to get back to the answer to his burning question and approached the teary eyed girl once again. “Well? I’m waiting for an answer.” He tilted his head and gazed deeply into her eyes as she faced him. “You... have the most beautiful eyes, they shine almost like sapphires, and your hair is like the midnight sky.” He boldly stroked a stray strand of hair and tucked it behind her ear. "Come on, lets get out of here."

_Oh how I wish I could strangle you right now, well your hair looks like dried noodles and your eyes are the colour of grass._

If she were sober then maybe she’d have been a bit nicer about telling him that it was uncomfortable having someone treat her like that, but six drinks later she was a different person and rose to her feet. “Satan, listen very carefully. You barely know me, we only just technically met this morning, and whilst you’re like this? I’d rather you didn’t touch me.”

_Holy shit! Nice one Em…_

_You really are more confident than me._

“A-are you refusing my date? Do you know how many women would fight for the chance to just breathe the same air as me, the student president, the son of the principal of Hiyu Academy?”

“I’m sorry..senpai but the name drops won’t change my mind. If that’s really the case then that means you’ll have plenty of women to take the botanical gardens who would be more than happy to go with you, I on the other hand would prefer to stay here and have fun with my friends. Only an idiot would leave with someone they barely knew right now."

The childhood friend watched in amazement, but now he was worried she'd be this harsh with him if he'd have confessed earlier, however this was roleplay Satan so maybe she was being direct because she knew it wasn't him. 

Even Lucifer's eyebrows raised at the harsh tone in which she spoke to his brother, he’d never seen this side of the usually timid girl before, but the others had spoken about a fiery temper of her own that was concealed beneath the surface. “Em if you speak to him like that more often then perhaps I will reward you with more TV’s in future.”

“Well dayum, ya sure told him AHAHAHAHAH!” The wasted yakuza roared with laughter, as someone who had experienced this temper first hand it was nice to finally not be on the receiving end of it and he was proud to repeat those cutting words back to him. “You heard her, she wants to enjoy the evenin’ wif her friends!”

“F-fine, suit yourself.” He huffed and turned to leave but upon reaching the exit a rush surged through him and he took his glasses off, inspecting them and then staring around at everyone, the real Satan was back. “What in Devildom happened? Oh no..what did I do now? I have the sudden desire to brush my teeth and tongue and then possibly throw myself out of the top floor window when we get back to the dorms.”

“Well I just watched you get your ass handed to ya by our Em here, heh!”

"What? Did we..get physical?" he asked innocently, moreso meaning getting into a fight with the human, but she was still flared up with anger and refused to answer or even look at him.

_You tried seducing her if that's what you mean._

"I mean, you tried… in one way. But not the way you're thinking about" Levi was just about to fill him in on the details when the bartender cheered. 

“You all sounded great and the results are in if you look behind you at the screen.” 

“ _4th Place: Lucifer_

_Ooof..I kind of expected that to be honest._

_3rd Place: Stupidmammon_

_Okay.. m-maybe I actually have a chance at winning this!_

_2nd Place: Levia-chan_

_W-wait….what?_

_1st Place: Satan”_

_WHAT!_

_He must have gotten more points because she cried! Or maybe this game is rigged?_

“Well that’s disappointing.” The prideful demon was obviously very hurt coming in dead last, still believing the Demon Prince's words about his voice being the most beautiful he cast an accusing glare at the girl. “Did you not like my singing, Em? If that’s the case then just tell me seeing as you’re a little more..direct than usual tonight.”

“N-no I did! I didn’t get to actually press a button to vote or anything!” The schoolgirl cried out and looked over at her best friend who just put his head down, still upset about coming in second place to Satan.

_I tried my best...and it still wasn’t good enough._

_Ugh, and I’ll have to fill him in with all the details later because we’re roomies!_

“Em! How couldya after I put my heart and soul inta that song! Y’know how hard it is to rap after uhh..h-how many drinks have I had?” The third place started counting, a concentrated look as he tried to remember just how many times he’d inhaled his drink as soon as it was refilled. 

“You’ve had fifteen tequilas. Honestly if we weren’t immortal or in this game, you’d have drunk yourself to death by now.” Lucifer said whilst facepalming. "At the very least you'd need a trip to the infirmary" 

"Damn I really drank that much?! This game is amazin'! I'll never ever ever doubt your games and stuff again Em, Levi still has weird tastes though."

"Yes, Leviathan's song was an odd choice too. No wonder he didn't win."

_You came last! You can't say anything!_

As everyone except Satan argued amongst themselves as to who should’ve won and who had the better voice the confused judge felt her pocket vibrate, the device had turned back into its original form and sent some information that made her gasp loudly, the brothers all turned their heads in anticipation. “O-oh it’s nothing, sorry just an alarm to say the event is over!...heh” She lied, this was something that had to be kept to herself as the main character from her ingame love interests.

“So not only are ya picking Satan of all demons, now ya hidin’ stuff from me too?” Mammon walked over to her as she threw her phone swiftly back into her blazer pocket.

“I’m sure it’s nothing you should be concerned about, however as the teacher role you can talk to me about anything if it’s something bothering you, Em.”

_Hah if she's going to tell anyone it won't be you brother._

_But she’s...hiding something from us?_

_Maybe it’s something private for just the MC’s eyes...what sort of things would that be in this sort of game? I can’t think straight, but the drink effect wore off awhile ago._

“Congratulations Satan.” The NPC clapped robotically and raised a glass. “For coming in first place you’ve won a date with Em.C at a cat cafe, this event is usually 10,000 grimm but you met the required amount of points and scored incredibly high. I’ll shortly send you back to your dormitory and you may rest until tomorrow.”

“Uhh thank you? But I have no idea what ju-” No-one had caught him up with the turn of events yet so this was all very confusing for the poor cat obsessed man, however the mention of the felines was the only thing he honed in on. “Did you just say cat cafe?” He threw a pleased glance at the girl and smiled at her, his emerald eyes sparkling with rare enthusiasm. “Would you like to accompany me, Em? It doesn’t have to be labelled as a date if you don't want it to be”  
  
“Uhhh...sure, with you? Not the student president please. I-if that’s possible.”At the end of the day, this was a dating sim game and she’d have to play along. However if there was a way of him switching off RP mode purely just for their date in the cat cafe she’d happily go along with him and they could discuss things in a sane mind.

Finally they were teleported back to the dorm as the bartender waved them off, and like a television channel switching it was suddenly nighttime, stars dotting the sky outside as they all faced the window.

“It’s time to turn in for the night.” Indeed it was, the devices and the clocks on the wall all read the time as 1am and everyone, especially Em, reluctantly ambled towards their rooms, the exhausted MC giving a polite wave to everyone and a soft smile to Levi as she climbed the stairs to her floor.

"Well goodnight everyone, good night, Levi. It's a shame I didn't get to sing anything but oh well, it would've just been a random anime OP or maybe something normies like."

"It's alright, there's always next time right? And Lucifer, we could maybe use yours when we get back to the real world?"  
  
"Perhaps. It was a gift from Diavolo himself though so you'll have to be careful with it."

* * *

_If only I got to talk with her more after the event ended._

Now that the event was over, their older brother had carted them all off to sleep but Levi would have liked to have been able to hang out with his favourite human for a while before heading to bed, he really wanted to know what she thought of his song even though he came in 2nd place; which he didn’t blame her for at all. Satan's heartfelt voice had brought even him to tears. He stared up at the ceiling and sighed, cringing a little at his flirting attempts with her whilst under the alcohol debuff.

_I almost confessed to her! Whilst drunk! Again!_

“Levi, could you please stop sighing? I know it’s awkward to be roomed with me but I’m not exactly thrilled about this either.” His brother tutted from under him, the room was like any old fashioned school dorm, a bunk bed, a small television and table for reading or studying. Mammon had finally learned who his roommate was and was none too happy about it, begging to switch with Levi as they walked towards the numbered doors.

“S-sorry...I’m actually glad we were roomed.” He pulled himself towards the edge of the mattress and leaned over to try to face his younger sibling, who was in a pair of cat themed pyjamas reading a book. “I’ve been wanting to apologize to you for awhile but you kept avoiding me.”

“Avoiding you? Levi, there is more to my life than just your jealousy issues or playing cupid for you and Em.” The bookworm didn’t realize his slip up, but hopefully the otaku was too tired for his brain to work properly. “Fine.” Satan snapped the book shut and glared up into Levi’s innocent smile, furrowing his brow in annoyance. “Go ahead.”

“G-go ahead and..what?”

“Honestly Levi.. you just said you were wanting to apologize to me, so go ahead, I’m waiting.”

“O-oh right well. I thought about it and maybe it was silly of me to go spyin-”

“Stalking. I believe that is what you did.” The blonde crossed his arms, still lying down against the pillow with a hardened expression.

“R-right...stalking. Ugh. I was an idiot okay? I got scared and m-maybe I did let my jealousy get the better of me, but I won’t do it again and I’ll listen to you in future I promise!”

His brother studied his expression, it was a little rushed and not formal but it sounded genuine. “It’s not the best apology but..it’ll do. I’m tired and confused. Very well, I’ll forgive you this once, now can you fill me in on the details of what my character did? Em was very...cold with me when I came to, did I do something embarrassing?”

The shut-in winced, now what was the best way to say this. “W-well you uhhh you kinda hit on her and she rejected you like an absolute pro LOL. I was actually really shocked, you were name dropping your RP Dad being the Principal, that you had a bunch of girls flocking to you and she sort of just dismissed you and told you to take one of those girls instead. Hehe, so I guess I like the sassy type?”

The Avatar of Wrath raised his eyebrows in surprise and then shook his head in astonishment. “Wow, she certainly has grown since first coming here. Maybe she has you to thank for that, but one thing irks me, how in devildom did I win that singing competition?”

“I don’t know but I hate you for it.” Levi said jokingly, and leapt from his bed to sit on the edge of his siblings, his neck was getting a little sore from hanging like a bat to talk. “Nah, in all seriousness your song was super sad, sadder than mine.. Can you really not remember anything when you go SP?”

_I won't ask about the thing with Abaddon tonight, unless he brings her up._

“Unfortunately not. It’s a bit of a downside to it and maybe...Lucifer is right, I’ll turn it off now, I’m not even going to wait for the next event to start, besides I only got to drink one Mimosa but you all look like you’d had a few.”

“Aha yeahhh, I think I had about six or seven? It was kind of nice being able to drink like that and not worry about being hungover or anything the next day. Plus you might remember alcohol and me don’t normally mix well, I used to just have the odd glass or two of demonus in my room one night a week, drown my sorrows and mix some tunes together…” 

_My song did hit the nail on the head, I really was lonely without her._

_I probably should wrap it up with Satan so we can get some rest, it’s been such a long day._

He let out a long yawn and stretched his arms, getting ready to climb back into the bed above. “W-well uhh anyway, I’m glad we talked things through. But yeah, maybe reconsider the whole RP thing. To be honest it sounds kinda weird if you’re the only one doing it. I thought about it but it’s kind of risky if the character isn’t what Em likes in a person. And no offence but the SP is a huge d@#k.”  
  
 _That was totally worth the profanity filter alert heh._

“Yes you might be right there, I think if Em were the one in RP mode it would’ve made things more interesting, who knows maybe her character would’ve chosen you? I’ve been reading a few novels lately and the childhood friend doesn’t always lose.” Just one hint would be enough, it was the least he could do for his brother after stealing first place from him, even he wasn’t aware how or what the lyrics were to his own song.

“Hah nah, the childhood friend is always NTR’d, trust me. There’s this sports anime called Chihuyufara? And apparently the guy everyone was rooting for gets turned down..actually wait..the other guy gets turned down too and the girl decides to focus on the card game. S-so I guess in that case I’ll be rejected for a game? Wait! Ems been playing that stupid chatroom dating thing, so I’ll be replaced by that?”

As the animé-crazy demon started rambling about card games, chatrooms and NTR’s the lesser fan of the japanese world of entertainment faked a large yawn himself.“ Ahhh you know what. On second thought I am feeling rather tired all of a sudden.” And quickly turned the lights off, facing the wall. It was far too early in the process of forgiving him to bare listening to his delusions. "Goodnight Levi"

“O-oh okay…”

_Well that was quick...maybe the game has a stamina system after all?_

_Or maybe he hasn't properly forgiven me._

It was no good, as soon as he climbed back into bed he found himself staring at the ceiling again, reliving the evening over and over again in his mind as the second guessing started to work its magic again, but oddly enough he was smiling to himself, sure whatever actions he’d done were a bit cringy or inappropriate, but she seemed to have enjoyed herself.

_And she said it’s weird when I’m not around…_

_I wonder when our date will be, I should start planning things._

_And maybe I will confess by the end of this. Mammon said he would too but I don't think that song counted, Lucifers and Satans also sounded romantic and I know and sure as hell hope they don't have the hots for her too. It's bad enough to go up against one brother, but three? AND a sorcerer?_

_Just feed me to Cerberus now rather than later…_

And with that, he finally fell into a deep sleep.

Only to be woken up an hour later by an alarm blaring from his and his brothers phone. “ALIENS? WHAT THE HELL! ARE WE UNDER ATTACK? MAN THE TROOPS!” He sprang up into action, still half asleep muttering about space martians and cyborg waifus before coming to the realization it was the ingame phone, Satan was still somehow snoring away underneath him, curled up like a cat. “Oh for the love of...SATAN...SATAN! TURN YOUR DAMN THINGY OFF!”

“Hnuh? What in Devildom…?” The lights came back on and they both looked at their phones in unison. 

_Welcome to the 3AM Group Chat Session, you may opt out of this but if you take part there are bonus intimacy points to be won._

Em.C: Well..not the nicest way to be woken up.

Lucifer: Indeed, I had not long been able to shut my eyes because @Stupidmammon was snoring louder than an earthdrake.

Lucifer: Oh and he forgot someone else was in the room and wanted to sleep naked.

Em.C: And now I’m definitely not going back to sleep! LOL

Leva-chan: LMAO Thanks for the nightmares ig Lucifer.

Stupidmammon: Hey! I’m sorry but the pillow was super comfy! And uhhh I did apologize for...that.

Satan: That?

Stupidmammon: Lucifer kinda saw my...coins.

Em.C: ಠ_ಠ

Em.C: Well 18 years is a long enough life for me.

Levia-chan: LMAO GUYS PLEASE! Asmo isn’t here so why are we giving Em trauma. Are you okay @Em.C

Em.C: I will be, but now I’m scared of going back to sleep. Oh. Apparently I have to ask you all a question and then you answer it. I get the idea but..come on game 3am? Luckily my sleeping pattern is already terrible thanks to Magic Messenger.

Satan: Oh it’s one of those questions where you get to know someone, interesting. Ask away.

Lucifer: Yes ask so I can finally get some sleep. Something tells me tomorrow will be another eventful day.

Levia-chan: Ask us anything Em, just not about Mammons “coins” ROFL

Satan: Speaking of the demon, he is being awfully quiet. 

Em.C: @Stupidmammon..? 

Lucifer: I don’t believe this. He’s fallen back to sleep.

Levia-chan: Aww, just let him sleep. He did drink a LOT tonight, hell we all did.

Levia-chan: Rip to his bonus from the chat though (¬‿¬)

Lucifer: Very well. Go ahead Em, I’ll answer as soon as I can so we can all get some shut eye.

Em.C: Ummm okay, they’re a little personal? I have to choose out of three..ugh.

Em.C: Complete this sentence: "I wish I had someone to share my….with.”

Em.C: Apparently if you answer honestly you get the bonus points? But you’ll all get points regardless. ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

_Oh no…_

_I don’t want to answer this._

Lucifer: Work.

Lucifer: The paperwork has been piling up in recent days and I cannot ask Diavolo for any more time to complete it.

Em.C: ...good to know. Okay, Satan?

Em.C: I feel bad saying this but I’m so thankful Asmodeus didn’t join us because this question would’ve been free real estate for him.

Satan: Haha, you’re right. :)

Satan: My knowledge.

Satan: It’s always good to be able to educate someone, and talk with them about their interests, in turn learning more about them.

Em.C: Levi?

_I want those extra points...come on._

Levia-chan: Time.  
  
Lucifer: Oh? Aren’t you going to explain what that means.

Em.C: Nope, he got the bonus points! Although I’m curious as to what you mean too Levi :D

Levia-chan: Well we’re immortal for starters, but it’d be nice to be able to have someone else to spend that time with? Idk. it's hard to explain.

Em.C: Someone to share your time with? 

Em.C: Do you mean like a relationship?

_Ughhh… Yes I do._

He started typing, not knowing what to say but thankfully someone stepped in to help. A confession in a group chat at three in the morning wasn't what anyone wanted. 

Satan: I presume you’re talking about Ruri-chan?

Levia-chan: YES! EXACTLY!

_Oh thank hades for Satan._

Lucifer: Ah yes of course. Who else?

Em. C: But that doesn't make sense. 

Satan: When has he ever? 

Lucifer: Well I’m heading to sleep now, the rest of you should follow.

Em.C: Yeah I’m tired too..I hope this isn’t a nightly thing, 3AM is really rough. Goodnight guys! 

Satan: Rest well.

Levia-chan: Goodnight! 

Stupidmammon: MONEY! 

Stupidmammon: Ah crap! Did I miss the event?

Movement under him confirmed Satan was just shifting himself to get comfortable again, but after coming to his rescue in the chatroom he needed to thank him whilst it was fresh on their brains. “Hey...Satan?” An annoyed grunt answered him. “I’ll make this quick, but thanks for saving me back there.”

Another grunt and then a quiet voice spoke. “It was a good answer, well deserved for those points. Now please get some sleep Levi!”

“Y-yeah I will” Not wanting to piss his sibling off any further after just patching things up with him, Leviathan finally fell back into his space themed dream, thankfully his head was not tortured with images of his brothers golden bar.   
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another chapter that took a lot of planning, but I got there!  
> Originally the karaoke event was only supposed to cover a small portion of this but I thought why not really have some fun with the dialogue and the fluff whilst given the chance.


	55. Go with the Flow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Satan and Em have a little breakfast talk, everyone goes to anime school and Levi thinks he found a way out of the game.

It felt like they’d only just drifted off before a bright beam of sunlight pierced through the curtains, causing the bookworm to scrunch his eyes open reluctantly. He hadn’t even gotten to experience the full event last night, yet was just as exhausted as the others after being rudely woken up by an alarm they were unable to turn off. 

At the very least the game's outfits matched his style and he admired his green pyjama pants and shirt, tiny white cat faces dotted all over. It was time to wake up and start the day, would they be attending school here too? Or was it just going to be a bunch of back to back dates with Em to grind points?

Hearing the bed above him shift reminded the demon that he was roomed with someone.

“Levi? Are you awake?” There was no response, the otaku was far away in dreamland. Well he couldn’t exactly blame any of them for wanting to sleep in late; the developers of this game sure were sadistic with their rules and times.  
  
As he hoisted himself up onto the top bunk it was clear that Levi was fast asleep, cuddling his pillow whilst wearing some black and lime striped pyjama pants and a matching shirt. “I suppose I’ll let him sleep a little while longer, but Lucifer will be awake and most likely banging on the door soon.”

Hopping back down the ladder, the sleeping demon suddenly laughed. Murmuring in his dreaming state, he nuzzled into the pillow further and started kissing it. “Mmm...oh s-sorry, I didn’t mean to bite you...or did I?” 

“Levi..?” Still no answer. “Pff, Well I take it someone's dreaming about Em.” After Living with six other brothers for so long he’d pretty much seen everything up to now even if that included some things he did not want to remember, so a bit of dream kissing was tame in comparison to what he’d seen and heard over the decades.

It was barely 7am but the introvert had always been an early riser, he resigned his amusement and let his brother make out with his pillow whilst trying to get the hang of his own device, remembering he still had to add the others as a contact and turn RP mode off sooner rather than later.

“Such a strange little device, well at least I managed to turn the damned mode off...hmm what’s this?”  
  
‘ _New information available: Character profile_

 _Name: Emilia Cartel_ _  
__DOB: 27th August_

_Height: 162cm_

_Weight: 130lbs_

_Likes: Romance Novels, Cats, Anime, Games, Plants, History, ???, ???, ???_

_Dislikes: Insects, Violence, Alchemy, Ruri-chan, Lack of personal space, ???, ???, ???_

_More information will be unlocked when you reach the next level of intimacy with Em.C.’_

_“Tsk, tsk.. Em you know better than to be jealous…”_ The only thing that really came as a surprise about her profile was the fact that Levi’s waifu was actually strong enough a dislike to make it on there, along with a lack of personal space but that made sense because Solomon was always up in her business. _“They truly are made for eachother aren’t they, but at least she hides it well.”_ He laughed to himself, if there was an opportunity for Levi to see that on her profile it would certainly spark a few questions on his end.

Suddenly there was a quiet tapping sound on the door and the Avatar of Wrath felt his blood bubbling up, Lucifer must have woken up sooner than he’d thought, thinking the politeness in the knock was probably passive aggression. Gritting his teeth in preparation for coming face to face with the brother he loathed, he held his hand over the door handle firmly and blindly threw it open, picturing the action in his mind.  
  
“Do you just enjoy being such a pain in the-” He opened his eyes just in time and flinched slightly, a raven haired girl stood staring up at him with a nervous expression. “Ah, Em! My deepest apologies for that outburst, I thought it would be Lucifer...what brings you here so early?”

“Ohhh. Sorry I know it’s early, but I was wondering if you wanted to join me for breakfast so we could chat.” She craned her neck and jumped on the spot repeatedly trying to search for the otaku. “I-Is he still asleep?”

“You know him well.. I tried waking him a few times, but he was having some very...pleasant dreams and I don’t want to disturb him.” Satan chuckled at her efforts and stood aside, allowing her to see Leviathan curled up asleep. Thankfully he’d stopped being intimate with his pillow just in time, so all Em saw was a peaceful smile on his face as he cradled it.

_Awwh… fast asleep. Well I don’t blame him._

Unfortunately the sleep talking hadn’t stopped, along with some light snoring to accompany it and the smile turned into a regretful whining as he turned over. “Can we just be together forever?...I just want time to stop.”

_Wait, what?_

That piqued the girl's interest and she narrowed her eyes as the deja vu hit, wasn’t that something along the lines of what he said in the chatroom last night? The blonde demon turned back towards her with a smile and ushered her out of the room post haste. “Breakfast sounds good, how about I try to make us some pancakes….ah,let me just change outfits.” Looking down at himself, realizing yet again she’d seen his weakness for cats.

_This man has the cutest fashion sense. I really need more cat themed stuff. Well his birthday is after Mammons so I’ve got ideas for both of them now._

“O-oh that sounds great! I’ll help out in any way I can!” She cheered in a whisper and smiled back at him but furrowed her brow, finding herself catching the back of Levi's head. “I’m guessing that’s about Ruri-chan?” Satan tittered quietly to himself, his shoulders shuddering whilst trying to keep the volume low so not to wake his brother.

“Don’t worry about him, I’ll…” The word text was on the tip of his tongue, but remembering this game's weird rules and laws of one chat per day in a group the knowledgeable demon frowned and searched for some paper, luckily this was a school dorm so there was plenty lying around. “Ah! I’ll use the old fashioned way and leave a note on the door. You wait outside, I’ll be two seconds.” 

He eagerly closed the door over on her, just on the off chance Levi decided to be more descriptive about his dream. After changing into the school uniform and with the scribbled note placed against the back of the door the two made their way to the kitchen area, leaving the shut-in to get some much needed rest. 

They both walked quietly down the corridor and reached the lounge area with ease, no-one else was around so it looked like they were the first to wake. 

Em was also already back into her character's main outfit, her wavy black hair falling just below the shoulders, bouncing as she skipped towards the kitchen area taking her phone out. It was best not to dwell on her unrequited love dreaming about his waifu, but she couldn’t get this nagging feeling out of her head. 

What if Lucifer hadn’t turned up at that exact moment last night? It was infuriating to not know the answer, and it wasn’t something you could bring up when sober. 

_Well I could..I’m just a coward._

Pushing the inner torment down, the human did what she was best at and smiled sweetly at her friend, they would have a lot to talk about this morning. “R-right well, first time I tried this my omurice sucked! But Levi made it seem pretty easy…” 

“Step aside Em, I may not be the best with these sorts of games but I am quite skilled in cooking and baking...unlike Solomon hah! It can’t be that hard to make a few pancakes for the both of us.” Famous last words for the egotistical cook, as soon as he grabbed his own device out he looked down at the screen puzzled. Was he supposed to make flour just appear out of thin air?

With some help from the human gamer, he was finally able to select the ingredients for some pancakes and started spinning the screen rapidly to mimic whisking the pancake batter. He got a little too into it and maybe a bit of his wrath came out, almost cracking the touchscreen with his mossy green fingernails but finally after flipping them on time. “ALMOST….there.” He’d scored perfectly. 

“Here you go. One large portion for you, feel free to add some strawberries, chocolate syrup or cream.” The blonde started dishing out his own plate, making sure to leave some for his older sibling when he woke up. Taking one forkful of his own creation in his mouth, his emerald eyes lit up; they tasted incredible. “My, I’ve certainly outdone myself this time, even though that was stressful...are you enjoying-”

_This is the best thing I’ve ever tasted!_

There was no way she could respond with such a large mouthful of food, her ivory cheeks were filled to the brim and she looked like an albino hamster nodding in enthusiasm at him.

“I’ll let you eat in peace, and then we can talk over some tea.”

A few mouthfuls later and they were finished. The girl concealed a Beelzebelch with her hand and took the plates, throwing them in the sink to clean themselves. “They were incredible Satan! What is it with you demons and your amazing cooking skills!” 

“Haha, well if you’re going to live for eternity you need to pass the time in all sorts of ways. And knowing how to make good food is just one of the upsides to making this life meaningful.” 

“O-oh well..that’s a good point.”

_Do I bring the subject up now whilst we’re alone or later?_

She stopped in her tracks and scanned her brain for a decision.

As the memories trickled back into her mind Em found herself cringing again, audibly with her teeth clenched, and then melting in her seat remembering the adorable song he sang to her. It couldn’t have been actually directed towards her, could it? Those lyrics hit way too close to reality to be a coincidence, it had racked her brain for hours the previous night and then the answer that earned him bonus intimacy in the chat. Her body squirmed, shaking her legs in concentration.

_That was definitely flirting when we were drunk, he’s never been like that with me before…_

_Wait no..he has._

_Damn it Lucifer..I really wanted to know what he was going to say. I’m sure he would’ve just thought I meant as a friend..but what if he didn’t?_

_I must be imagining things. Levi loves Ruri-chan, not me. I’m not his type..or species._

_Maybe the song means nothing? But ugh I need to talk about it with someone or I really will go crazy._

_I mean, he sang TO me! I just...I don’t think I’ll ever forget that experience!_

_And then the dedication…_

“Are you alright, or do you..need to go to the restroom? Perhaps the tea is a little strong.” The shaking of her legs under the table and the wiggling had caused a misunderstanding. Of course the Avatar of Wrath knew what was bothering her, it was something about Levi. It always was, and he didn’t mind helping either of the two out but he was starting to grow a little tiresome of the indecision between the two of them. 

How lucky they were to each be in love, feeling the same way about each other and even mirroring their insecurities.

“Huh? Oh! Hahaha no I’m fine I just…” Biting her lower lip and carefully scanning around the vicinity for any purple blur, the coast was clear for now. “It’s about Levi...last night he was really, I don’t even know how to describe it to be honest with you...weird? I mean..weirder in your eyes.”

“I thought that was the case.” Chuckling and gesturing for her to carry on. “What’s on your mind?”

“Well..everything. What the hell did he mean last night in the chat room? Time..with Ruri-chan.. It didn’t make any sense, she’s not real for one so he already can spend eternity with her.” He waited patiently whilst she recollected.

“Okay let me start at the beginning..” It was a good thing they’d just eaten because the amount of things that spilled out of the girl there and then caused her energy to lull back into a state of exhaustion.

_I still need to tell him about that kiss..well..the almost kiss._

“So, the day before you and Lucifer swapped bodies, I almost...kissed Levi. I don’t know how it happened, one minute we were laughing and teasing each other and the next he was on t-top of me..” The usually calm and reserved gentleman next to her held his teacup in the air with wide eyes with raised eyebrows, unable to speak. “Y-yeah..w-well anyway that’s not even half of it.”

_I won’t mention him staying in my room._

It felt like hours before Em caught him up on everything, well almost everything. Piecing together everything the blue eyed girl told him was a bit much for first thing in the morning but he had to smile slightly for the moves Levi pulled on her. He was so close, yet so far. “And that’s everything...I even..outright asked him if he liked me last night. A-and then his song! The lyrics! Talking about his best friend and how he wanted me I mean whoever to wait and watch over him...ugh! It’s a good thing the drink wore off or I don’t think I could’ve helped myself and just thrown myself at him.”

“I’m sorry, you did what?” Was the nightmarish slow burn finally over? Surely his brother would’ve told him last night but the otaku acted like nothing had progressed between them as he rambled on about some sort of sports love ntr anime thing. “Damn it, I really wish I had memories of last night or I would’ve been more helpful to you.”

“W-well Lucifer showed up before I got an answer. Which was...really convenient. Actually I’ve noticed that whenever me and Levi have a moment like that, he always seems to ruin it. Does he not like me being so close with him? Is he...j-jealous.” 

“Oh.. **of course** he did.” Rage festered up inside the fourth brother once more and he felt his grip on the mug becoming a little too strong, not only was he controlling everything else in their lives but going as far to keeping the two apart was infuriating. “I have to say I’m surprised about the kiss thing, I didn’t think you were like that...it’s a shame it didn’t happen for whatever reason.” Though he had an inkling as to why.

“W-well that’s my fault. I didn’t want to steal his first kiss so I..backed out and did something stupid..which ruined the moment.” Her head lulled into her hands in shame. 

Satan also hunched over with both hands on his face, only it wasn’t shame, more annoyance. He couldn’t outright tell her because that was Levi’s job, but oh he wanted to.“Em..if you’re always scared about every little action with my brother, you’re never going to make any progress. And I know..you didn’t have the best experience with your first kiss but that doesn’t mean that he will have thought the same. If I’m completely honest here, Levi never made the effort with anyone. We gave him plenty of..opportunities, some succubi even took a liking to his shyness and he never once took those chances. A first kiss is special, yes. But I really doubt he would complain if it came from someone he cared deeply about. Someone who spent a lot of time with him perhaps? Like his..best friend..” 

“You...you have a point. Maybe it’s less about being rejected and I sabotaged myself because of my bad first experience and didn’t want him to go through the same memory. But can I ask what you mean about..opportunities?”

_Although I think I already know what you mean...and I already regret asking._

Once again his people skills hit the nail on the head about why she was letting these chances go. “W-well..it’s nothing to really discuss over breakfast. Let’s just say that once Asmodeus learned Leviathan had never...been intimate, he wouldn’t take no for an answer when it came to arranging..things.”

“O-oh..well that's a bit..actually I do remember Mammon wanting to give Levi some numbers to uhh ‘get things over with’ on movie night after they argued.”

“Yes, they’re not the most subtle about it. I personally don’t see how it’s any of our businesses but his. However it is strange for our kind to not engage in those sorts of things. A-anyway, in future if things happen, just let them happen. Take it from someone who has been around him for hundreds of years. Levi would be nothing but happy he finally had that experience if you did go through with it.” Realizing the lack of context paired with what they’d just talked about Satan raised his voice in alarm. “Kissing, that is!” 

_Okay..so if something like that happens again.._

_Let it happen..? Even if he doesn’t like me?_

Doubts rolled in like a fog in her brain, clouding her sense of judgement again. “But what if he gets grossed out or angry or-”

“Em...stop thinking like that. You know my brother well enough by now.” This wasn’t really the best time or place to have that sort of talk and the introvert felt himself getting rather flustered alluding to more Asmodeus-friendly topics. His mug trembled slightly as he threw it in front of his face to hide the embarrassment. “R-right well that’s enough talk about..that. I didn’t want to scold you first thing in the morning. But is there anything else you wanted to share with me? Just..lighter topics please.”

“Oh right! Yes, it might just be my imagination but… can you take a look at this?” Shifting closer to him, Em pulled out her device as they both read the screen. “I’m pretty sure the game glitched last night.”

Final score for Lucifer: 3,000 points

Voice: 2,400

Lyrics: -600

Emotional impact: 1,200

Final score for Stupidmammon: 4,700 points

Voice: 2,000 

Lyrics: 3,000

Emotional impact: -300

Final score for Levia-chan: 9,500

Voice: 1,000

Lyrics: 3,500

Emotional impact: 5,000

Final score for Satan: 10,500

Voice: 3,500

Lyrics: 3,000  
Emotional impact: 5,000

Penalty: -1,000

Sparked by the curiosity of insider knowledge, the blonde yanked the device from her grip and began examining the results intently, a large smirk as he passed by Lucifer's score.“Hah, what didn’t you like about our perfect brother's song? Never show him this by the way.”

“Ugh well...h-he insulted you all and honestly, it was a bit awkward with him referring to me as baby. I’ve never really been one for pet names. And I guess it’s a bit off putting hearing a guy who tried to kill you serenading you all of a sudden. I don’t mind yanderes in games but uhh..”

“I see..although I have no idea what a yandere is, though I’m sure it’s something related to your cartoons.” Satan sipped his tea and stifled a hearty laugh behind the porcelain. “What about Mammon? Let me guess..it was something you’d hear at a disco?”

“Pfft, well I-I wouldn’t say a disco.It was more...nightclub like.The lyrics were nice, I just..couldn’t really get into it. Although I have to say I’m impressed with his voice! I totally thought he was just being..himself when he teased me.”

_But the lyrics also bothered me..._

“And my song? But yes, I definitely see something incredibly wrong..for one Lucifers score is far too high.”

The judge laughed awkwardly as tension once again filled the air, whenever the L-word was uttered it was like the calm and collected Satan she knew became childish and almost petty to a fault. “Well I uhh, I don’t want to offend you, your song was super sad and really really heartfelt but I feel bad about this. When you were singing I couldn’t stop thinking about Levi’s and I think the system got confused. I mean don’t you find it weird your scores are pretty much identical?”

“Ahaha, I don’t think you could offend me even if you wanted to, Em. I wasn’t myself last night and I don’t even remember singing. Besides, I have no romantic attachment to you and vice versa, so I wouldn’t expect you to be swept away by me. But you’re right now I look at it there is something amiss.” The numbers on the screen stuck out like a sore thumb and he winced for his brother. “However I can’t help but pity Levi’s voice score…”

_Well that isn’t true..I insulted you multiple times last night._

_Thank Hades you can’t remember any of that._

If he ever saw those results for himself it was likely to be upsetting for him, knowing his lack of confidence and how easily he beat himself up about things, hell he was even visibly upset last night for coming in second place. “ UGH HIS SONG WAS ADORABLE and I feel really bad about that, but like I said it just goes based on my initial reaction. He has a lovely voice, but I think nerves got the better of him and a few times he just said the words instead of singing, and one line I could barely hear towards the end! Ugh I hate myself for saying that because it’s not like I can sing very well. But it sounded like he was enjoying his song, and what really got me emotional were the lyrics and how much passion he seemed to have for them...it was something I’ll never forget.”  
  
 _I didn't mean to yell...I just got excited._

 _It was like he believed everything he was singing about.  
  
_ "Em I can't believe I'm telling you of all people to lower your voice. Shhh, you might wake the others!" They both waited for any signs of movement before continuing. "But I wouldn’t feel bad at all, you’re allowed to have some criticisms, I mean you were technically judging us all. However I wouldn’t tell him or show him this list, you know how insecure he can be especially with jealousy..." Now it was his turn to show her something interesting as he scrolled down to her profile on his own device. "Ah! Speaking of, have you seen this? It gave me quite the chuckle because I wasn’t expecting it from you.”

"S-sorry I didn't mean to yell so loudly..." She stared down at her own profile in horror. “W-what! But that’s not true. I don’t hate Ruri-chan…”

A sleepy voice yawned as they joined the two sitting on the sofa and Em felt her heart give out. “Who hates Ruri-chan? You guys weren’t making fun of me behind my back, were you?.” Leviathan had woken up due to the sounds of dishes, given they hadn’t eaten since first arriving in the game yesterday he was famished.

After selecting his in game outfit again he had entered the sitting area thankfully after his best friend had talked about her feelings, However he had hung back against the wall when they were talking about his song and Ruri-chan.

“Oh Levi! G-good morning...do you want some pancakes? Satan almost broke his phone screen cooking them!”

“Ah you’re finally awake. Yes there should be enough for everyone..honestly, I’m getting flashbacks to last year when the maids were on vacation and I was the one who had to wash everyone's clothes because **someone** dyed everything pink.”

_Please for the love of all that is unholy, tell me he didn’t hear that._

_I didn’t even get to tell him about the other thing..._

“Eh heh, whoops, I did apologize about that though. Good morning, did you sleep well?” He rubbed his half open eyes and blinked at her a few times, trying to wake up after just having dreamt about kissing her. And also trying to distract himself from what he’d overhead. “S-sorry just gimme a sec, I’m a bit out of it today. I don’t think my eyes are used to the sunlight yet. But pancakes sound great!” 

He strolled over to his brother and pat him roughly on the back. “Thanks for the grub, Mom!”

“...Indeed.” Was it just him or was Levi behaving a bit stranger than usual this morning? But then he had never been a morning demon.

Another lower and grumpier voice yawned as the teacher role made his appearance, striking a cold smile at everyone as his crimson eyes darted towards the food. “Ahhh pancakes, excellent. Just what I need to wake up after a dreadful sight.”

“M-morning Lucifer!” Em stammered out, feeling like she was walking on eggshells after ranking his song so low, hopefully he wouldn’t take it personally.

Lucifer stepped over to the plate and grabbed a portion for himself, turning to his arch enemy with that sadistic grin. “I see you’ve stepped up to a maternal role, perhaps that is your true character. I’m assuming you can handle our dishes when we’re through with them, hmm?” He glanced down at the polished buttons on the student's blazer. “We’ll have to find you a new outfit, how does a pretty pink frilly apron sound?”

_Actually Lucifer the dishes do themselves in the game...but I won’t say anything that might piss him off even more than usual._

“Do you two ever get bored of just butting heads allllllll the time?” Now that he was more awake, the purple haired demon couldn’t help but throw his head back in irritation and took a seat next to the object of his affections as he chowed down on his breakfast. “If Lucifer wasn’t promised to Diavolo already and people didn’t know you were related I’d say you were like an old married couple LOL.”

“ **Leviathan.** I truly hope you enjoy that pancake, because if you speak out of turn again that will be your last meal. A demon as great and powerful as Diavolo will already be betrothed...and our relationship is a professional one. **Understood** ? **”**

_But he does have a point._

“I mean he does have a point…”

_Oops! It just slipped out._

The sulphur eyes sparked in a threatening manner. “Come again, Em?” 

“Uhhh n-not about the Diavolo thing, I-I just meant that you and Satan..what are you even fighting about these days? Aren’t you both happy to be back in your own bodies? To be honest I was hoping you’d both get along a bit more if we played together, it’s why I invited you in the first place.” 

_I just feel like it’s getting worse between them.._

_But Levi and Satan seem to be on better terms today at least._

“Hmph. Of course I’m happy to be back in my own body, I felt tainted being stuck inside that leech.” Feeling like he’d been called out on everything, the Avatar of Pride coughed and hid his blush frowning at the time on the clock and strode back towards his dorm room. “Mammon if you’re not decent when I open this door I will break this game's pain sensor, is that clear?”

“Oh dear..uhh I don’t think that’s quite how it works Luci-.” She called after the man but he’d already opened the door and now everyone could hear a muffled scream.

“Gahhh!”

”Well too late..”

“I mean it’s kind of his own fault for sleeping naked?” Levi shrugged, amused at the girlish shriek, soon enough the tsundere came ambling out of the room dressed in his character's outfit; the chains from his pants dragging on the floor behind him with a proud looking Lucifer in tow.

“M-mornin’ everyone...ugh, so do we gotta go to school in this world too or is it constant karaoke and drinkin’?” The deviant yakuza rubbed his hands together, it didn’t sound like too bad a game if that were the case. 

“You know I’m actually not sure, this is the weirdest otome I’ve ever played... Em, do you have any insider info as the MC? Maybe a secret guide or something we could take a look at?” The gamer demon gestured towards her device as if he wanted to check something himself, she froze, there was personal information that he or any of them were forbidden to see.

_If he sees the intimacy meter it’s game over._

“Uhhh s-sorry I don’t-”.

For once in his cockblocking career, Lucifer came to Ems rescue and chuckled whilst waving his own device in the air. “Actually as the teacher role, I get the say in this matter.” Scrolling around, tapping various buttons before an alert came through. “It says we... that means **you** must attend school each day, there’s a group event in the afternoon and..oh! It looks like because I came last I have the first date with Em...and the rest is for my eyes only!”

Mammon groaned. “Ughhh can ya at least let me eat before we get zapped somewhere this time? Now how did that sayin’ go? Fool me once shame on you game! Fool me twice shame on me!” The others readied themselves for what was presumed to be a tedious day in Hiyu Academy as he hastily ate his breakfast.  
  
As they were on the brink of leaving the property, the childhood friend trope halted. “Oh wait a sec everyone! I’m not sure what sort of stuff will happen or if we’ll even be in the same classrooms but if you see any wires or even a laptop, PC or tablet let me know because I might be able to get us out of here..possibly.”  
  
“Interesting, and how will you do that Levi?”  
  
“Heh, don’t tell me ya can do some of that fancy technical voodoo..what was it called again...clackin’?”  
  
“Hacking. And w-well I don’t sit around on my a- butt all day doing nothing.” Levi sheepishly grinned, he wouldn’t mention the game he was working on due to time but at the very least could mention knowing how to code. “Sometimes I do programming gigs in between the review writing for money and a few demonesses on Devilgram wanted exposure so I altered the code so they showed up as ads.” He shrugged casually, feeling rarely smug.

Another surprise for Em, Levi really needed to give himself more credit for all of his talents. “Wow! T-that’s amazing, you’d put Laughing Guy to shame!”  
  
 _How in the hell can he call himself useless?_  
  
“Hah I wish!” He beamed at her for the anime reference and then looked around at his brothers confused faces. “I-it’s a hacker from G-ghost in the clam..” More confusion. “...An anime.”  
  
“Right. Well as much as we love standing by whilst you two talk about cartoons, the game states we must attend school so get going.” The oldest brother's eyes darkened in a strict tone. “But I will keep a look out for any technology, I would also very much like to get back to the real world.”

* * *

The first day of class was in session, the various NPCs around them seemed like good students, churning out whatever work they were programmed to do by the AI teacher. Satan being the bookworm know-it-all was seated at the front of the class, behind him was a very immersed otaku and at the very back of the room, Mammon was half asleep. Almost drooling on the tiny desk in front of him. 

_I know I’m the MC but this is all too tropey._

When everyone's seating plan had been announced, the two nerds had laughed the loudest. Second row from the back next to the window. It was an all too common trope in anime that the protagonist was able to look out of, perhaps to gaze fondly at their crush or see some sort of unusual event that set off a chain reaction in the show. It all depended on the genre.

_Well there’s nothing to look at outside except a few NPCs in the park over there._

Staring down at the worksheet, none of it made a lick of sense. This was supposed to be English class yet her questions were about History, Geography and Science. Apart from History the girl circled her answers carelessly, she looked over at Levi who sat to the left of her a row down. Gritted teeth bared and a concentrated glare as well, it was funny to see him trying so hard.

_Usually our study sessions back at home are a lot more relaxed, he’s never getting 100% in everything like Satan, but some subjects he excels in._

_I just realized, he still hasn’t told me why he works remotely. Though if I had to guess, it’ll be something to do with his past and that’s fine if he doesn’t want to mention it._

_Or maybe he just prefers it because he can watch anime at lunch time?_

He did a double take and saw her staring at him and smiled. "Em..? Pssst. You're good at human world history right?" Not even realizing that he was now facing her, whispering across to get her attention.

"Huh what?” Immediately snapping her head to look all around. “Oh! Sorry I was in my own little realm there! Yeah, what's up?" She laughed trying to play it cool.

_I spaced out again...he really is contagious._

"I'm just having the hardest time with this question and was wondering if you could help me out? Who is the Roman God of Agriculture? W-we only really learned about Hades and his wife.”

For once her love of mythology came in handy. "Ah lucky, that's an easy one! It’s Saturn!" 

"Satan? The same name as my brother?” The very same brother mentioned snapped his head around with a cold icy glare. They were flirting far too loudly in class, whether this was a game or not they needed to be more aware of their surroundings.

“No, no SAT-U-R-N silly!”

“Can you two please be quiet. We’re in the middle of class and I can’t concentrate.” The blonde hissed taking the lesson far too seriously.

“R-right sorry…” The purple haired demon winced, ripped a bit of his worksheet off and wrote something, then flicked a ball of paper at her. 

It hit her on the cheek. “Wh-” 

Levi pressed his finger to his lips, shushing her and nodded at the note as she rubbed the side of her face with a furrowed brow.

_This reminds me of all of those cheesy chick flicks set in school with the love notes._

_Okay, I’ll humor you._

_Oh right I have think the word, pick up...I keep forgetting that._

Em giggled as she opened the scrawled up ball, how was a demon of all things this cute? 

_“ Seeing as I can’t just text you. I guess we’ll have to do this the old fashioned way? Don’t want to upset his royal highness ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯”_

_“Old fashioned way? Back in your day would we be etching things into stone? (ᵔᴥᵔ)”_

Still giggling away she doodled her own emote and flicked the paper back at him, catching his ear. After a few seconds Em heard a stifled puff of air on his end and another piece of paper was thrown on her desk.

_“Parchment and ink actually! I see someone doesn’t study Angelology religiously. - pun intended. But do you really want to go there when you didn’t even know what my DreamSpell was?”_

_“Gomenasai Levi-ojiichan, I was mistaken and truly am an uncultured child. Is that better? (¬‿¬)”_

_“( >ლ) If you want me to act like an old man then I will. How about I write my entire life out on a piece of paper and read it out to you? Because this class is never ending and just as uneventful… seriously. How long have we been stuck here?” _

_“I don’t know but my butt is going numb T_T I need to stand up soon”_  
  
“PFFF-” That broke their silence as the otaku laughed into his sleeve and fake tutted at her for making him laugh out loud. The ping pong game of notes was about to resume when...

"Ughhhh I can't take it any longer damn it. I gotta get out of here." A voice yawned behind them both and rolled to his feet, unaware that there was now a piece of paper glued to his face with drool."Heh no stupid class for this demon."  
  
Mammon got maybe two steps from the exit and just when he thought he was free, reaching for the door handle there was a flash and he was sat back down in his seat. "YO WHAT THE HELL?" 

The two lovebirds shared faces of concern, they’d joked about the class being eternal but to actually be physically stuck until the next group event started? None of the NPCS had reacted and kept working away on their own worksheets and the teacher was sitting at their desk on a loop of drinking coffee and scanning the students around him. 

“What in Devildom are you doing? I can’t take much more of this, perhaps there is a library somewhere near here.” The book loving demon also attempted to leave the room but was teleported as soon as he stepped away from his assigned seat. “Well that can’t be good.”

“Maybe it’s another glitch?” Levi said as he also tried standing, only to have some unknown force push his body back down into its seat. Before long all four of them resembled whack a moles and were trying to leave their seats, and each time the game said no.

From outside of the classroom all seemed lost, Lucifer had been summoned to the teachers lounge as soon as they’d entered the building and approached by other NPC’s dragging him away to grade papers. But it had been quite some time since he had disappeared too, was he also suffering the same butt numbing fate as the others? 

_I guess we’re stuck here until the game lets us leave or we’re ported somewhere else, well I can think of worse places to be in..like that underground Labyrinth with a giant snake._

A loud bang caused them all to jump, it came from outside of the classroom but of course with no means of escape it was fruitless to even try looking into what the noise was. However they wouldn’t have to wait long as a familiar face approached the window searching for something. 

_Lucifer! Oh thank his father._

_Wait. How is he even here?_

There was no time to open her mouth before the door was miraculously open and he strutted in, holding a laptop in one arm. Walking straight up to the NPC teacher and grabbing the back of their chair, he pushed them aside hoping to disrupt the lesson.

The teacher carried on in the same loop, lifting their head up a few times, writing things in the air now that they were away from their desk.

“Finally I found you all… do you have any idea how boring it is to be stuck in a teachers lounge pretending to grade peoples papers?” 

“Lucifer...I’m..happy to see you?” The otaku questioned his own statement. “But how are you here? We can’t stand up or leave. We’re literally stuck to our seats.” In his bafflement to see someone breaking the game's laws of physics he hadn’t even noticed the laptop, the very item he needed. 

“No need to lie, Leviathan. I know you’re happier to see this.” Lucifer drummed his fingers on the portable device. “As for how I got here. I just wished to leave the lounge and my device made a noise. The next thing I knew the door was open and I was free to leave and roam the halls.”

“B-but you shouldn’t be abl- ah. Can I see your phone for a sec? I just want to check something.” Levi held out his hand, still unable to move so hoped his brother would bring it to him, luckily he did.

“What’s going on, Levi?” Em asked curiously. Praying that they’d be able to move soon before pins and needles set in. 

“Grrr can’t ya just tell us! Ya always have to be so mysterious about stuff!” Mammon was clearly getting restless from being in a school, having to learn things against his will and kicked the underside of his desk. “Just explain first! Then do the thing.”

“Fine fine, okay. So Lucifer is a teacher role right? It’s just a hunch but I think maybe the game gave him special skills or if we’re super lucky…” A large smile spread on the gamer demons face, his hunch was correct. “YES. You’ve got admin privileges!” Everyone but Em waited for more of an explanation. “Ugh, seriously… it means I might be able to get us out of the game.”

Satan was the next to question things. “And how would you do that?”

“By connecting this device to that laptop, it’s possible I can get into the games code and uhh..I guess the easiest way to explain it would be hacking. Although really it’s just writing a few commands here and there and seeing if the system responds to any of it.” 

“That’s wonderful Levi but…wouldn’t you need a USB or something to connect them?” The schoolgirl fiddled with her hands nervously, he was on a roll with his knowledge of games and technology but surely they’d need cables. 

“Em..I’m disappointed in you.” He shook his head dramatically and sighed, a smug smirk creeping up. “Ever heard of a little thing called Bluetooth? You really are uncultured huh?”

_Oh he’s right! I didn’t think about that._

“I...am impressed Levi, well done.” Was all the oldest sibling said, praise from Lucifer always felt backhanded but not this time. He brought the laptop to the hacker and let him work his magic as he clacked away on the keyboard, opening some sort of black screen with a bunch of seemingly random letters on it. 

_Wow...again..how are you useless Levi! You’re about to save us from this game, although I would be lying if I said I wasn’t looking forward to our date here._

_I wonder what it would’ve been like._

Most of the group waited patiently as the hacker worked his magic, the keyboard clacking loudly.

“Are ya nearly done? You’ve been typin’ away for ages!”

“Patience Mammon, I believe programming requires a lot of concentration..” The bookworm threw a curious glance at his brother, it was taking longer than expected.

Levi hid a worried frown and dismissed the warning that popped up onscreen, telling himself it was just a scare tactic as he clicked it away. “Hah almost! Just a few more commands and….exit. Hold onto your butts everyone!”

Mammon took that literally and grabbed his behind whilst a flash of light erupted from the screen and for the third time everything went white. 

* * *

_Did he do it, are we free?_

There was a slight salty taste to the air and a breeze wherever they were. Breathing a sigh of relief as her eyes opened she saw a large lake stretched out in front of her, was this the Devildom lake? It looked a little different but maybe they were just further out than usual. But the trees and the path snaking around looked incredibly similar.

However searching the area for the demons, Em found herself blinking in disbelief and had to rub her eyelids. There in front of her were all of the brothers wearing nothing but swimming trunks. She found her throat suddenly very dry as she drank in Levi’s figure, there was no running away this time.

He was wearing dark purple shorts and his skin was almost statuesque in the sunlight. Like a marble figure in a temple and although still leaner and less built compared to his brothers, abs were now proudly formed with a prominent v-line sinking into the otaku’s hips. The blush spread across his face and that awkward humble stance as if he were saying “don’t look at me” just made her melt even more.

_Holy….hell…._

_Even better than 2D men.._

_The old me would have spontaneously combusted seeing so many physically attractive men wearing nothing but a pair of shorts but..that’s not all there is to them. And of course Satan, Mammon and Lucifer are all very handsome, if it were just about who had the best body conventionally I suppose that award would go to Lucifer, but Levi is just glowing for me right now._

_I barely got a glimpse before he ran away in the group retreat but yes. His hard work has definitely paid off._

_Okay I need to get it together….or get a drink, or slap myself out of it._

Remaining completely calm and collected in front of your crush was almost impossible no matter what sort of person you were and she ambled over awkwardly, not knowing where to look. If their eyes met then she’d turn scarlet, but if she focused on his body it might have made him feel uncomfortable or uneasy due to his self esteem issues. And so just like the day she realized her feelings, her attention stayed on his forehead and general face area.

Proudly marching to meet her halfway was Mammon wearing nothing but a pair of yellow and blue trunks, without a care in the world about being half naked. In fact he was showing off his figure if anything and flexed with large, strong arms at her. “Ah there ya are Em! We were...w-wonderin’ where you’d got to!” Choking on his words which made the Avatar of Envy turn his head around to greet her. The tanned brother smirked with a whistle as he went to join Lucifer and Satan, who were somehow arguing again. “Looks like I got my wish after all hehe.”

“He-” Levi’s eyes instantly dropped down towards her chest, fighting them to stay fixed on her face instead. Em had noticed all of the others wearing swimming outfits and was so taken aback by her best friend's physique that she didn’t even check if the game had changed anything about herself. “Oh..h-hey...Em.”

_Why is he acting super shy? I mean shouldn’t that be me?_

“H-hey, so I guess we’re still in the game?”

“Mmmhmm, I-I’m sorry, I tried to get us out but I let you all down.” Levi darted his eyes everywhere, she wasn’t wearing her blouse and skirt anymore, just a two-piece black bikini that did anything but hide the pear shaped figure. It felt wrong to stare at her like some sort of object but her womanly curves weren't helping and in that moment he thought this must be how Asmodeus sees everyone. “We’re in the n-next g-group event…s-swimming.”

He was proud of himself for getting them out of there but couldn't help but feel like he didn’t do enough. When he’d entered the exit command the game came up with an error and said it was retrieving data and re-routing them. However he had managed to override all admin commands on his brother's device. 

_Oh it must be because he feels bad, and well of course he’s nervous._

“Levi, it’s okay..” Her heart ached for him, he’d given it a go and that was what mattered. “You did what you could. I knew you could program but..I didn’t know you were a hacker.” Still unknowingly in nothing but a bikini, she reached up stroking his arm and smiled at him. “I’m really impressed...b-by everything.”

The shut-in gave a forced gulp as her top half grazed against his arm, doing his absolute best to not drop his head and ogle at her. Between the wide hips, the endless legs and her bountiful chest he didn’t know where to look and there were no sunglasses to save him here.

“I-impressed? r-really? Hah...thanks Em, uhh they-I-I mean-YOU look a-amazing.” As much as he appreciated her body, he reached into his pocket for the jailbroken device tapping a few buttons. A light blue and orange jacket appeared over her shoulders almost like magic. “H-here, in case you feel cold or don’t want the others to s-s-stare.”

_What? Why would they stare?_

Her head shot down at herself, processing what she’d just said and done. It made sense now why even Mammon had stuttered a little and she couldn’t zip the jacket up quick enough. “O-oh thank you! How did you get this though, are you sure you don’t want it instead?”

An immediate frown fell on his face taking it the wrong way with his lack of self confidence so Em corrected herself, words falling out of her mouth. “Ah n-no I don’t mean because you don’t look good or anything, if anything you look really hot.” The frown was now replaced with another expression, one she’d not seen often on him. “I-I mean the weather out here is warm!..A-anyway you were saying?!”

 _I want to just throw myself into that lake right now._  
  
He somewhat hid behind his hand as he spoke, still trying to soak in what she’d just said.“I uhh..managed to sort of hack into the admin commands, with Lucifer's phone we can do pretty much everything BUT leave it looks like.... we somehow bypassed the payment for the beach DLC, so if you’re wondering why we’re...like this. I think it lifts the rating.” 

_Oh...interesting. Magic Messenger had DLC that was for older players too. W-well as long as this doesn’t get too much then I’m sure it’s fine._

The cat-lover announced himself, wearing lime green shorts. He’d been keeping Lucifer busy so the two could have some alone time at the cost of his own sanity. Examining their surroundings he couldn’t help but pull a disgruntled face. “Well that part makes sense, but this isn’t a beach it’s a lake. And it looks identical to the Devildom Lake.” 

“I..can’t really explain that bit, it’s weird to me too. The only thing I can think of is maybe when we got scanned at the beginning the game took uhh references? And with me messing around with the commands..well..it said it was retrieving data and then re-routing us.”

“Ah I see, so the data it retrieved must have been referring to our experiences, and it found a match with the event? Hah, technology is fascinating.”

“Oh...Satan I just noticed you’re yourself! Phew..I have to say I’m relieved.”

“I think we all are Em.” Lucifer also strode up to them, wearing black and red shorts. With Mammon reluctantly in tow, they’d listened in on the explanation and were now curious what they were able to do after Levi’s tinkering. However he wasn’t about to let him have off with his own device, there was confidential information on there and so he held out his palm like a strict parent. “I’ll take my device back, and then you may explain what sort of things we can do now. Thank you Leviathan.” 

After a quick roundup, the tinkerer told them they could now control the weather, slow down time, speed it up in an event, access outfits, accessories and items that were supposed to be premium paid-for content. “But go easy on it, I dunno what sort of security, firewalls or anti-piracy protocols the devs implemented. I..I used it once just now, b-but it was necessary okay! So I guess, only use this thing if it’s important.” 

_Did he..use that to get me a jacket?_

That was such a sweet gesture if it were the case and she had to clutch her chest, welcoming that airy feeling in again. 

_I wish they had intimacy meters too so I had an excuse to flirt with him._

A dramatic groan of annoyance interrupted them all as the white haired yakuza started moping. “So we can’t speed time up in general, are we stuck in this damn game forever!” He threw his hands up in the air and fell to his knees. “I just wanna go hoooooome and eat stuff normally! And I’m sick of having to think about the thing before I can do it...how many more days are there? Are ya sure we can’t just skip to the final day or somethin’?”

“Whining about it won’t solve anything Mammon.” Satan sighed, if anything he missed the comfort of his own bed. “I’m also getting homesick but after what Levi just said, we need to be careful using this device and continue playing normally. I believe we have to each go on a date with Em and the group events so that leaves four days left including today… we’ll just have to grin and bear it. Unless Em can pick one of us right away and it’ll be over with?”

“Ah...maybe it’s as simple as that. Who do you choose Em? Of course it’ll be me, right? You wouldn’t want to cross horns with me after judging my song so harshly now would you?” The sadist glowered.

Levi said nothing and hung back whilst the others yelled to be picked.

“Really? Pick me Em, pick me! I was all for enjoyin’ this game but havin’ to wake up so early..bein’ roomed with Lucifer...HAVIN’ A GIANT @#! SCAR ON MY FACE! It’s getting to me now!” The profanity filter on the Avatar of Greeds phone buzzed a warning. “And I’m sick of this stupid profit filter thing, I can’t even say @!# !” Once more the phone buzzed and Mammon threw the phone in his hacker brothers face. “Can’t ya at LEAST turn this stupid thing off?”

_I can’t pick now! IF I were allowed to pick now, I’d have to explain myself to all of them, right?_

_But I do want to go back to the real word...and go to the cafe with him. Asmodeus and Beelzebub must be worried sick about their brothers, and I'm sure Asmo wants to continue that talk._

_And Belphie! Oh no Belphie, I hope he’s okay.._

_Game. I choose Leviathan._

_Sorry..Levia-chan. I choose Levia-chan._

Her phone flashed from inside the jacket pocket and she took a sneaky peek, baring her teeth with a scowl at the text.

_“The request to end your session has been denied._

_Unable to meet requirements.”_

_What the hell does that mean? Ugh whatever..I guess it’s not that easy._

“Mammon. How many times must you hear it, we cannot risk using **my** device on stupid decisions. You will just have to try to control your mouth for the remainder of the game, or I can wash it out with bleach, how about that?” The head of the household grabbed him by the arm and carted him closer to the water, where five diving boards stood. “Let’s get this event over with. I have to finish making selections for my date with Em later today, you see I have experience in this sort of thing..unlike some others..”

_Ah I forgot about that..that’s going to be so awkward. Here we go again with that weird jealousy, maybe I should bring that up on our date._

“Are you sure you want to betray Diavolo like that?” Levi sneered at his brother, he wouldn’t sit and take the jabs anymore. “Won’t he be upset you’re cheating on him?”

“Hah he’s got a good point there!” Mammon and Satan snickered amongst themselves, whereas Em just prayed Lucifer didn’t have super strength and would throw the otaku out of the map for that comment. 

“Guys...the event?” She was getting sick of their arguing, and there were still a few days left being stuck here by the looks of things. 

_Forget the maybe, I’m definitely bringing it up._

_Wait, how does this event even work? Don’t we need an NPC? Do I get to race too, honestly I’d rather just watch._

_Just like with singing the song...I guess it’s a choice._

_Maybe I should’ve just sang instead of chickening out… but my song would’ve been far too obvious. The lyrics mentioned a cute demon, getting over an old crush..having to leave._

“O-oh right! Uhhh so I guess usually there’d be an NPC to start us off, I guess just get on your own board and if nothing happens I’ll have to use a cheat code to spawn something in.” 

“You’ll have to pawn one in? Like sell it?” Mammons ears perked up.

The Avatar of Envy wanted to strangle him and spelled it out loud. “SPAWN. S-p-a-w-n!”

"Mammon, must I wash out your ears as well as your mouth?” Lucifer huffed again, and stepped onto his diving board pointing at the others to do the same. 

The group lined themselves up and to their relief some lane ropes popped up from the water, giving everyone their own swimming route. The brothers were all stationed in ranking order and Em was on the end. Before they could all jump in, the devices went off.

‘Thank you for purchasing the DLC: Freeing! Hiyu Academy Swim Club! In your inventory you’ll find everything you need to make this day full of fun! 

Each player will receive:  
1 x Premium swimsuit or swimming trunks

1 x Drink voucher  
  


Player Name: Em C will receive:

1 x Ice Cream voucher for two

The vouchers can be redeemed using your ingame phone by scanning the code, inputting the number or taking a photo of the QE code found on the back.’

_I get to pick someone to share ice cream with?_

‘Event details: Players will race against each other one on one across the lake and back. Player name: Em.C is free to join but will be exempt from the final results and whoever wins the most races will receive bonus intimacy points and something to help them on their date. The first race starts in 10 seconds and will be between player names: Lucifer and Satan. Anyone not in this race can relax on the hammocks provided. Good luck.

A reminder for our players: the devices are waterproof.’

They all fumbled around with their devices and set them back in their pockets. However, as the oldest demon set his phone in his back pocket to start the race, someone swiped it and swapped it with their own device. 

As the alarm on their phones rang Lucifer and Satan threw themselves into the water both equally matched as Mammon and Levi watched from their hammocks waiting for them to return.

“Ugh..I can’t get in mine, it keeps getting all twisted. And I think it’s too high up..” She reached up and tugged on the hammock, it was no good. Almost like it was designed to have this flaw.

_I bet the devs planned this._

“Well ya ain’t sharing mine! Either of ya!” Strange coming from a man so whipped who at every chance wanted the girl to be with him instead of his brother. 

Levi glanced around him, there was more than enough room for someone else. “Y-you can share with me if you want.” He said rather boldly for someone who had been close to exploding from blush earlier but he’d given himself a pep talk to prove himself in this event, especially after hearing the two talk about his song. 

“A-are you sure we’d both fit?” Already looking sunburned at the thought of being so close to those pecs, Em was at it again trying to sabotage herself.

“Y-yeah if I scoot over a little I’m sure we’ll be fine. Here.” He extended his arm out and grabbed her hand. “Just try not to rock it too much or we’ll both fall out.”

_H-here goes._

She clumsily lifted her leg up next to his head, causing him to turn away. Those legs were already his weakness and he obviously hadn’t thought the process through, but he still held her and helped her in, the hammock swayed a little bit too much and she landed against him with a thump. 

“Ah Em, are you okay?!” His eyes flickered back to her and he flinched. They were up close and personal now and she was pretty much sitting on him. “A-ah umm..well at least we didn’t fall...h-hows the race looking Mammon? Can you see them yet?”

“Eh? Uhhh nope. Not there.” The suspicious demon said without even lifting his head up. Still attached to his device as he tapped away.

_What is he doing?_

“Mammon..what are you doing?”

“Uhh just checkin ya profile and stuff Em. Apparently I need a higher intimacy ratin’ with ya before I get to see more though.. Interestin’ stuff.” He teased innocently.

_Oh no..I forgot about Ruri-chan being on there! If Satan saw then.._

“Her profile?” It sounded like Leviathan hadn’t even been aware of it and reached down to his own pocket, forgetting how close him and Em were as he stroked down her leg. “A-ah sorry!.. I'll get up.”  
  
"No, no it's fine. I'm the one who's sitting on you...I'll move."

"You don't have to! I'm really sorry I was just reaching for my phone." He scolded himself for touching her inappropriately, accident or not.

Panicking slightly as he opened his device and started scrolling for the profile, she fanned herself. Resorting to unzipping the jacket due to the heat. “S-say how about we redeem our drinks now? I’m thirsty after the Eng-His-Scie-whatever class that was supposed to be! And it’s really hot here.”

“O-oh good...idea” He made the mistake of looking at her, threw his head back down and selected the can of soda. It materialized in the drink holder space next to him and the human watched as he took a few sips, condensation from the can splashed onto his muscular form. Their bodies were so close together she could even feel his chest rising and falling under her as he breathed.  
  
 _Maybe I really should move._

_How is he so damn sexy without even trying! And what’s more frustrating is he doesn’t believe just how hot he is...well he was an angel._

Little did she know just how fast his heart was beating right now having his crush squeezed against his bare chest with her cleavage on display pressed against him. Hence why the cold drink was a good decision on her part, to keep him calm now that the jacket was open.  
  
 _Lord, give me strength whilst I’m sitting on your son._

“Oh they’re on their way back! Why does Lucifer look so angry?” Levi bolted upright causing the hammock to shimmy, and Em spread her arms across it to hold it down so they didn’t both fall. The can threatening to spill. “Whoops! Sorry!” 

“I-it’s okay, stop apologizing!” She laughed and scrunched her eyes at the horizon. In the distance she could see a faint blonde shape but close behind was a dark void coming to swallow him up. The thieving brother smirked to himself and carried on tapping buttons as they cheered. “Wow.. Satan's winning I think! Come on Satan!”

“Wait really?” He took a deep breath and screamed at the top of his lungs. “DO IT SATAN! BEAT HIS..BUTT!”

Satan was swimming normally and then all of a sudden just before the final stretch it was like time slowed down and his limbs were now moving at a snails pace. Lucifer in his rage for not beating him to the other side had sought vengeance and easily surpassed the sloth.

“I win!” He panted a few times and combed his soaking jet black hair back and laughed. “As expected.” As he faced the loser in the lake, another button was pressed and the fourth brother finally felt like he had control of himself again. It was strange, almost like someone slowing a DevilTube video down. 

The onlookers were shocked he’d caught up so quickly and won but boiled it down to the introvert not being as physically fit and maybe he ran out of steam. He on the other hand was furious, knowing that someone had messed with him but wouldn’t be able to say anything because the next race was starting right away.

The next race is player name: Levia-chan vs Stupidmammon.

“O-oh crap, I-I’ve gotta go Em!” The otaku flailed around wildly, noticing the glare his crimson eyed brother was burning into him. 

“R-right!” Shifting away from his body and letting him out of the hammock, she watched him summon his strength to race as he climbed onto the board. “Good luck, Levi! I’m rooting for you.”

He flashed a heart melting smile in her direction and readied himself. Swooping gracefully into the water almost like a merman as he zoomed across the lake like a purple torpedo. “H-hey t-that’s no fair! You’re a damn water demon! This game is rigged!” The hypocrite called after his brother as he sluggishly tried to keep up, swimming really wasn’t Mammon's thing.

_Wow...I think he’s easily going to beat Mammon at this._

No-one would have to wait long to find out. Only around ten minutes had passed give or take before the first signs of a return. “No way! THEY’RE BACK ALREADY?!” Em spat out the last remaining drops of her soda and clambered out of the hammock, rushing towards the waters edge for a better view.

“I wouldn’t have expected less from Levi.” The fourth sibling grunted. “That man puts a siren to shame. Though it’s been years since I saw him like this.”

The sea-loving shut-in was miles ahead of his older brother who looked like he could barely breathe through strokes, the entire race he had complained that it wasn’t fair to go up against someone who was naturally built for water in a match about speed.

“Levi...that was amazing! I knew you’d win! The way you moved was insane! It was like you became Maru from Freedom! all of a sudden! You were so fast like..like..” Em couldn’t contain her glee and ran towards him, forgetting their surroundings again. The mer-demon gracefully strode towards her, oozing happiness about coming first against his brother. 

“Like a damn fish.” Mammon spat, still sore about losing but the plan was still in motion.

“W-well you did say you were rooting for me, I guess I gained a new skill on my talent tree.” His after-glow was obvious as he ruffled his bangs coyishly, lapping the compliment up and completely dismissing his brother's comment. 

“I’d say it was more like a buff, not that you really needed one…” She giggled and fluttered her eyelashes at him, causing another swoon worthy smile from him.

Lucifer once again stepped in, this time frowning at the girls attempt at flirting. “Not bad Leviathan, I see you still remember your form. Have you been swimming in your tank lately I wonder?”

“Uhh honestly no? I...can't explain it. My body just moves by itself when I’m in water.” 

“Well I’ll still beat you. Surely you must be tired after that.”

Adrenaline coursed through him after hearing that. “Nope, I could actually go again right now.” Both brothers glared at each other in a heated display of dominance, crackling like fire. 

“Hmph, it seems someone's finally grown a pair of horns...perhaps there’s a reason for that?” Glancing over to the object of Levi’s affections, Lucifer smirked. It was just far too obvious at this point. The taller demon paced over towards him and whispered into his ear. _“If you beat me, I will grant you one request. However if I win, you will grant me one.”_

_I wonder what they’re talking about? Levi looks paler..than usual all of a sudden._

“Fine.” The otaku growled, there was no way he could lose. Whatever request Lucifer would come up with was surely going to involve Em. Distancing himself? Ending their friendship? Repress his feelings for her?

A few races later, it was time for the final match. Lucifer vs Levia-chan. Satan had lost against Mammon, Mammon had somehow won against Lucifer as well. And Levi had won against Satan. If Lucifer won this race, it would mean the Avatar of Greed had tied first place with him.

* * *

Levis POV

_Every muscle in my body is aching, but I have to win… I have to!_

It had been too close a shave with Satan, the built up stamina from working out had only just worked. But he couldn’t remember the fellow introvert being that fast, especially as he struggled in the first match with their older perfectionist brother. 

_It’s..weird. But no, I have to focus. Even if I can’t get Em or h-her body out of my head._

_I’m just lucky she didn’t notice anything in the hammock and I was able to calm down._

“Levi, good luck brother.” He tore himself away from his thoughts and saw Satan's hand stretched out towards him and shook it firmly, but the suspicion had only grown within the crime loving demon and he pulled Levi towards him to also whisper something. “I suspect foul play from either Lucifer or our scheming brother. I will do my best to keep an eye on Mammon during your race, so your job is to ensure that smug peafowl doesn’t try anything.” 

_Lucifer..might be cheating?_

_W-would he do that? He’s the Avatar of Pride...so I guess it could be true?_

“Thanks for telling me, I’ll make sure I win. Fair and square.” As he stepped away from his brother, the very concerned doe eyed girl couldn’t help but feel like there had been a shift in the atmosphere since that talk he had with Lucifer. And every race since, the poor exhausted otaku was pushing himself to almost breaking point, this started out as fun but now it was just painful to watch. 

“I’m...not sure what's going on but…” Em darted her eyes back and forth and pushed herself up on her tiptoes and pecked him on the cheek before backing away. “Good luck, don’t let him win.”

His eyes became the size of dots, but he had to focus.

_A-another kiss._

_Last night...she asked if I like her._

_UGH I can’t think about this right now, winning, winning is my purpose. Please, let me win._

The prideful demon's stomach almost turned seeing her kiss Levi on the cheek like that, it was clear, he was too late in stopping the romance blossoming between them and would have to go to even further measures to ensure neither of them ended up heartbroken. He would be hated for a few millennia, but it wasn’t exactly anything new. 

“Leviathan. I know you hate me, but in a few hundred years you’ll forgive me and maybe even understand.” Leaving his brother at that, Lucifer swooped into the lake below them with an almost regretful look and was able to get a headstart. 

Maybe it was the kiss that fuelled him, or the sheer audacity that his controlling brother thought he could decide what was best for him but he pushed on, numbing himself to the aching of his limbs, the fatigue draining away at him. 

_I’m still behind him.. but I’m catching up slowly! Maybe if I play it safe until the final stretch and then try to burst through I’ll have a chance of winning._

_Lucifer would never ever let himself lose a race._

_I know Mammon wants to win this game but come on, even I wouldn’t go to those lengths. A true otaku doesn’t cheat, they rage quit but I want to win this game as fairly as possible...okay maybe the jacket move was a little cheaty but I didn’t want the others staring at her like that._

_And she appreciated it… no no snap out of it! Win the race first and then panic._

His feet touched the sand beneath as they came to the clearing on the other side and instantly pushed off the ground to give himself a jumpstart back. 

_Woah wait..what’s happening._

His legs seized up, almost like cramps but not quite as they were moving about like a marionette puppet on strings leaving him treading in place as the other demon disappeared into the fog. 

_No! I’m gonna lose!_

It was no good, the more he fought it the less he was able to move, now completely flat on the water. Was everything he’d done going to be for nothing? The turquoise pool of liquid around him remained still, the sound of his brother's splashes lessened as they got further away. 

He’d given up, there was nothing he could do, no way to fight the system itself.

_I’m not Karito from Sword Art Offline for Mephisto’s sake. Sorry no dual blade wielding Gary Stu here._

_I can’t believe this...there’s nothing I can do! Ugh I should’ve copied Lucifer's admin account and put it on my device..if that’s even possible._

Kicking his feet, the demon whined as he floated in the opposite direction, bumping against the lane rope. “Ugh this sucks! Why can’t I move! LET ME MOOOOOVE!”

_Wait. I just did._

But was it all in vain? Had Lucifer already beaten him and made it back? He moved his arm forward it was working as it should and wasting no time propelling himself backwards, kicking his legs as fast they’d go. 

_To hell with the pain, I’ll deal with it later._

However upon reaching it he saw a mass ahead of him almost in a ball. “Leviathan. Why can’t I move? Is this you hacking?” His brother wasn’t happy in the slightest, and had been miles ahead before everything froze, almost like something in an anime about time manipulation.

“I knew it couldn’t be you..” Levi swam closer to his rival. 

“What?”

He waded around on the spot and sighed. “I’ll give you a clue. Who is always lying, stealing and cheating?”

“ **Mammon...** ” Bubbles frothed up around the demon as he put two and two together and began to unfurl himself as soon as he was able.

“Exactly...welp, see ya!” There was no chance he was going to let this go to waste, even if it didn’t count. The finish line was in full view now and Satan was cheering even harder as soon as he spotted his brothers lilac mop. 

“Leviathan! Leviathan get back here!”

“Sorry? I can’t hear you properly!” It wasn’t exactly a lie, as he neared the others the cheering was deafening. But Mammon was oddly quiet, still sat on his hammock looking far too casual for comfort.

“You can do it Levi, come on! You’re almost there!” Satan roared, getting extremely amped up. "AVENGE ME!"

Taking a deep breath, Em let out her powerful voice.“LEVI, SHOW HIM WHAT YOU’RE MADE OF!”

His brother was right on his tail but there was no competition now, just a few more meters and...

_Sorry Lucifer._

_I win._

His hand made contact with the board and everyone's devices buzzed, distracting them all for a few seconds as he climbed out of the water and yanked his phone out.

A furious figure slowly emerged from the depths behind him, paying no attention to anyone else. “ **Having fun are we?** I did think it was strange to lose to you of all demons.” He gripped the yakuza’s arm and twisted it slowly, causing him to yelp. “I believe you have something that belongs to me.” The thief dropped the phone in shame, and there it was clear as day the secret cheat codes on screen to manipulate time, cause lagging effects, teleporting and confusing the others.

“Wait...you cheated?” Em scowled at her friend, also furious that he sabotaged his brothers like this over a game. “Mammon...how could you!”

“Y-ya don’t understand! I did it cuz I knew there was no winnin’ against Levi. A-and I fell asleep last night durin’ the chat, and in the bar I got wasted and came third! I just...wanted a chance to shine.”

“You’ll have a chance to shine alright. Above my fireplace as my trophy.” The sadistic demon scolded him rather calmly for someone who’d just lost due to cheat codes. “I’m growing very tired of this behaviour from all of you.”

“I did think it was strange that I lost EVERY match.” The introvert folded his arms in disappointment, deep anger just beneath the surface. “But why didn’t you just use it on yourself?”

“I felt bad alright? And thought maybe I could win fairly against Levi but...I guess he really has gotten stronger.” Mammon pouted up at his friend who was equally disappointed with him. “Em I’m sorry! Ya don't..think less of me do ya?”

“That’s enough. Come on. I need a word.” Before she could give him an answer, the klepto was hauled away into the nearby trees.

Whilst all that was taking place, Levi was leaning against a rock, reading the alert and almost collapsed at the victory.

‘Congratulations to player name: Levia-chan. You have been awarded intimacy points and a special item is in your inventory.

All players will be redirected back to the Hiyu Academy Dormitory in 15 minutes. Feel free to relax and rest your muscles.’

_Whilst I’m here…what was it Mammon said about Ems profile? Oh here it is…_

_What? Is that what they were talking about this morning..but she’s never acted like she hates Ruri-chan.._

_B-but that would mean she’s...jealous?_

“I-I never got to say..congratulations for winning.” The human stood in front of him to praise his feat as he quickly pocketed his device, ears scarlet from his discovery. 

If Mammon had sabotaged him, it hadn’t worked. Maybe he was just that good? Her face burned as their eyes met again so she grabbed her device and started tapping.

“T-thanks. I don’t know how I did it..or why I feel so exhausted, I’m starting to think we’re actually ourselves in here more like a simulation. Yesterday I thought we were just copies of ourselves or something and our real bodies were still in the Devildom.”

“Well putting that aside for a moment...you’ve more than earned this.” A small object materialized in her hand, it was a vanilla ice cream. He gratefully took it from her, a little choked up that she’d chosen to share it with him.

“A-are you sure you want to give this to me? It doesn’t expire whilst we’re in here.”

_Where’s hers? Did she already eat it?_

“I’m more than sure. I’m ridiculously proud of you for everything today, but you need to be proud of yourself too...an ice cream won’t help I know, but just...relax and enjoy yourself for once.” She sat down against the lakeside, dipping her toes in the shallows below and patted next to her. 

Balancing the dessert and himself as he plopped down next to her, they each shifted closer hearing the cheater getting punished in the background. Satan just wanted to give the couple as much alone time as possible and kept out of the way, exploring the event map. 

“Oof, I hope Lucifer isn’t giving him too much of a hard time. I know it was wrong of him to cheat..but I do understand to a point.” As she spoke, the purple haired demon couldn’t take his eyes off her, his mind was starting to race now it was able to sit and process things.

_She’s been...different for a while now. Touching me more often, wanting to hang out all the time, not that I mind! But it’s..almost familiar._

_And whenever I catch her staring at me..she looks away._

Looking down at her hand resting against the ground by her side, he slowly slid his own next to hers, bumping against it curiously. “I get it too..I’d definitely think the same if it were me. B-but I wouldn’t go through with it.”

It had startled her and she began to move her hand away, but he wanted some sort of sign. A gesture like this wasn’t something only someone considered a friend would do. He brushed his hand over hers and turned it, interlocking their fingers and gently squeezed; taking note of every tiny reaction she gave as he beckoned for her to look directly at him.

Like a deer in headlights her pupils were like deep pools as they caught each other's glance and the admiration they showed, along with the mask of blush across her cheeks and the fond smile. “I-I know you wouldn’t. You’re not like that…”

It hit him like a truck.

That was how he looked at her. 

_No...no way._

“W-well times almost up huh?” He snatched his hand away, more than flustered now he was reading her actions and words properly. But he was still a shut-in who had never been romantically interested in someone before, so it wasn’t enough proof to go spouting out a confession..yet. “They’ll be fine, so don’t worry too much okay?”

“Oh r-right, guess you’d better eat up, haha!” Laughing nervously as he obeyed her command and devoured the ice cream. Her legs were like jelly as they both rose to their feet, especially after the boldness they’d both shown today. Innocent and harmless in most people's eyes yes, but to each other they were taking big strides.

A stern voice muttered in the distance and both of them turned around to see Mammon moping about after being disciplined. “I’ll be back soon..” Em said and ran towards the pouting demon.

“Oh..okay!” He watched as she consoled the guilt ridden thief, but was unable to hear them from that distance.

“Mammon..I can’t say I agree with what you did but..” She tapped the device, and passed him an ice cream that was intended for her. “Here. I don’t think less of you, but I know you’re better than resorting to tricks all of the time.”

“Wha...a-are ya serious? No, but this is yours!” The trickster was almost in tears at her kindness, even after he’d done something like that. 

“I’m not really that hungry...you take it Mammon.” Her eyes turned cold all of a sudden. “But don’t cheat again..if I see Lucifers phone on our date then I’ll cancel it right there and then okay?”  
  
Mammon whimpered, knowing all too well what that temper was like. “K-kay..you’re right..I’m sorry.”

“Don’t apologize to me, you need to say sorry to the others.” With genuine regret shown from him, she grouped up with the others and Levi soon joined before they were shortly zapped back to the dorms.  
  


* * *

“So what’s happenin’? I can’t really tell…” Mammon squinted at the display, still confused as to what anything meant. But at least he’d cheered up after his gift from Em.

“Well none of us can be sure, but the date seems like it’s off to a good start.” 

Levi grimaced, as soon as they’d returned to the dorms the game announced that Lucifer's date with Em was to start after they’d had some time to relax. His brother didn’t disclose anything about where they were going, what they’d be doing and with hardly a moment's notice the three suitors that were not attending were yet again teleported to another space. 

_I’m kind of sick of being thrown around between all these events._

The only way to describe the waiting area was to compare it to a dentists lounge. Three benches, a potted plant in the corner and a hang in there poster with a cat and to everyone's chagrin, elevator music on repeat and nothing but a screen showing a “+” or a “-” every few seconds to gauge how well the date went. 

“Ugh I hate this! I just want to know what’s going on! Is he..behaving?” He started biting his navy blue nails anxiously. 

_This freakin’ music is driving me insane! How many times has it played?_

“I know our brother is..confident in his approach but I doubt he’s seducing the poor girl. Plus didn't you say this game was a...PEGA..16?”

“Well how would we even know! The swimming DLC sure wasn't...” But his anxiety only worsened as the next batch of results came in.  
  
‘Lucifer: + + + +’

He jumped out of his seat. “See right there, that’s what I’m saying! How else would he of all demons score that high with her?” Now yelling at the screen wanting to rip his hair out in apprehension.

“What’s the matter with you? You’re acting more jumpy than usual.. And you were so calm and collected during the swimming. I dare say I was proud of you brother.”

“W-wait seriously?” The self conscious demon almost choked on air. "You were..p-proud of me?"

“Yes." Satan said calmly and chuckled. "I would’ve been even prouder had Mammon not almost ruined things. But you've been...exceptional since we got stuck in this game so give yourself a break.”  
  
 _I don't know what to say...I'm touched.  
  
Em said the same thing..._

“Ugh...look I said I was sorry alright? I even gave ya a little boost towards the end cuz I felt bad...Ah are ya jealous cuz Em gave me her ice cream too?” 

Could he tell them? This seemed to be a confidential space just for the waiting demons. 

_I owe them that much._

“No..I’m not jealous I..-” The otaku sighed exasperatedly before spitting it out. “Okay so guys hear me out but..I think...Em l-likes me back.” The student president had an apathetic, unimpressed poker face meanwhile his brother had more of a reaction.

“Wow, whatever makes you think that Levi.” The bored looking demon asked sarcastically, as if this was a shock to anyone at this point? 

“EHHH WHAT? HOW’DYA KNOW!” Mammon whined, slumping his shoulders in resignation. It looked like he hadn’t just lost the event but the chance to confess his feelings first too. “Did she confess to ya or somethin’? I remember comin’ back and ya were both super quiet.”

“Well..n-no but.. The way she looks at me, she’s more p-physical, wanting to hang out all the time, saying all sorts of….things and she even said I looked h-hot today! And I just..there’s so many moments where I’ve thought, Does she?” 

“Well it was pretty hot at the lake.”The tanned demon shrugged. “Plus we’re all sexy ba- guys, she’s just bein’ honest. Though I wouldn’t have minded a compliment too.”

“She didn’t mean literally! Or..wait..did she? She did mention the weather.. No but wait, Ruri-chan! Her dislikes, one of them is Ruri-chan, why else would she be on that list and I heard a bit this morning about what she thought of my song!” He ruffled his bangs so vigorously strands of lilac were shedding all over the bench.

“ Ah, I thought you had. You were far too casual.” His golden haired brother grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled his arm down gently. “Calm down. So..what are you going to do?”

_How are you so calm about this!_

_‘Lucifer: ++++’_

_Ugh. How is he so good?_

“I…” He swallowed his doubts and balled his fists. “I’m going to give it my all from here on out, one hundred percent- no a one hundred and twenty percent completionist playthrough.”

“But I thought ya were scared of gettin’ rejected? I-I’m not tryin’ to say don’t do it but..why all a sudden?”

“Because I’m sick and tired of myself, of letting time pass with her and not doing anything. And I can’t sit still and watch Solomon make moves on her. She’s been here for months now and before we know it she’ll be gone. And I know for a fact I’ll sit in my room crying about how I missed my chance for decades. If I’m wrong and she doesn’t feel the same way, well..she's leaving isn’t she? It might be awkward for a while between us but..I..I have you guys right?”

Lifting his head up to face his brothers, he was met with a bear hug from his once enemy and a few pats of support on the back from his younger brother. “Can I...be friends with you guys? H-hang out more...e-even normie stuff. I just don’t want to be alone.”

“Of course. We’re brothers aren’t we? Isn’t that what we’re supposed to be here for?” Levi’s eyes welled up hearing words like that from Satan of all demons and smiled through his tears. “But you have nothing to worry about.”

“Thanks guys..I-I love you both...e-even you Mammon. And when Belphies back, maybe the five of us could go somewhere?”

“I love ya too, ya big nerd…” He patted Levi’s hair affectionately and then messed it up on purpose. “Come on, no cryin’ here. I’ve seen ya cry way too much this year.”

“That would be fine with me, hell we’ll need a break from our brother lording it over us. How about a vacation, I’ll even extend you an invitation to the Lucifer Sucks Club.”

“Y-you’re right. Sorry…” Wiping his tears away, he giggled at the name of their silly chat. “That would actually be great. Expect a lot more members.” 

Drowning out their laughter and the cursed looping music, several loud buzzes echoed through the room.

‘Lucifer: - - - - - -’

“W-WHAT? How can it be going so well and drop like that? It’s worse than YAL review bombers!”

“Wait..more results incoming! What in Devildom...” The only joy in the room right now was from the Avatar of Wrath, taking pleasure in seeing someone that regarded themselves as perfect messing up so badly.

‘Lucifer: - - - - - -  
The date has terminated, please remain seated’

“Oh dear...it seems Lucifer said or did something that she didn’t like at all...and it was going so well for him too.” The blonde smirked, he knew the girl wouldn’t appreciate any advances from someone like the arrogant sibling. “Anyway! This has been wonderful, I wonder if we’ll get a good night's sleep tonight.”

“Yikes..he’s gonna be in such a bad mood an’ take it out on me ain’t he…”

“Didn’t he give you hell at the lake as well? He must have been festering because on my walk I didn’t hear any screaming or yelling.”

“Uhhh nah actually, he just talked all normal and strict. Told me he was disappointed in me like usual, but it wasn’t anythin’ like he’d normally do. It was weird…”

As someone who shared that wrath, Satan was able to offer more insight. “He must be saving his rage up for something special.”

“Ugh...you mean for me don’t you? U-unless…”

_What if he just took it all out on Em!?_

Springing up instinctively, he reminded himself this was a game. They wouldn’t feel any pain and no-one could use their demon powers here so she was safe in that aspect. As the initial panic wore off his brother pulled him back down again. 

“Levi, remember what the voice said. We must remain seated until they return.”  
  
 _What the hell happened on that date? Why is it over so fast?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well... What did happen on Em and Lucifers date? ⚆ _ ⚆  
> You'll find out in the next chapter! 
> 
> Did I lose sleep writing this? Yes. Was it worth it? I think so.  
> Thanks so much to my friend Ru again for all her help. (Hi Ru :D ) and for all the wonderful comments and feedback from everyone!  
> I said I wanted a beach chapter back in August, and by Diavolo I meant it! Almost threw myself in a lake after writing that description up of Levi.... hoo boy.
> 
> Cheated a little around getting a swimming event and could've used a school pool but I wanted something unique. And yes the hammock is a reference to Levi's SSR from the Sun, Sea and Devils Event that recently returned to the LD ;)

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Love is Hard for a Human Otaku](https://archiveofourown.org/works/28264752) by [Gemlettuce](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gemlettuce/pseuds/Gemlettuce)




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